George Washington

The first 500 lb (230 kg) bomb penetrated a room in the western wing where Diệm was reading a biography of George Washington. The bomb failed to detonate, which gave Diệm enough time to seek shelter in a cellar in the eastern wing. He was joined there by his elder brother Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc, younger brother Ngo Dinh Nhu, Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu—who sustained an arm fracture while running toward the cellar—and their children. Elsewhere within the palace, three servants and guards were killed, and about thirty more staff were injured. Outside the palace grounds, an American contractor died after falling from a rooftop where he had been watching the bombing. Despite the confusion, most of the city's inhabitants went about their usual business, indifferent to the chaos.[1] The attack lasted 30 minutes and although they carried enough bombs to level the palace, the pilots did not expend all their munitions. Quoc's aircraft was damaged by fire from a minesweeper, forcing him to eject over the Saigon River and land in Nha Be,[1] suffering minor facial injuries in the landing.[5] After his arrest by a nearby naval patrol, he reportedly asked "[d]id I kill that filthy character?" before being taken away for interrogation.[4][5] Cu believed the attack had been successful and managed to safely flee to Cambodia. Commenting on the skills of the attackers, a US Air Force officer opined that "[w]ith that weather, they did a hell of a job".




Streaming Audio Recorder
Time Management Tips