Oct. 13, 1963 - Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu charged today that unidentified “ambassadors” had “unofficially” asked her and her husband to leave South Vietnam to end the political crisis there. She called the idea “absolutely unreasonable.” Madame Nhu said no official request had been made by the unnamed ambassadors, who would say only that it was “just advice from a friend.” She said U.S Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge “officially has not asked us to do anything yet.” Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Madame Nhu said: “We always try to follow all advice that is good for both sides. We do not know what change we should do.” She criticized “liberalism” because it was soft on Communism. “We have the impression that the U.S. Government is not so anti-Communist,” she said. Just prior to her appearance on the program, Madame Nhu came face-to-face with NBC’s John Sharkey, one of three American newsmen beaten by police in her homeland 10 days ago. Introduced in an NBC studio, Madame Nhu and Sharkey, his cut scalp bandaged and his right hand in a cast, had this exchange:
“What happened to your head and hand?”“I was beaten up by your secret police.”“Why?”“We had film of the monk burning, and three of us were beaten.” “I’m very sorry, and I hope you’ll recover soon.”
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