ceeded in establishing the authority of his government in 1954-5. However, Diem's rule became increasingly repressive after 1955. According to McNamara et al., the political effects within South Vietnam of the mass arrests, stalled land reform, the abolition of locally elected village elders and councils in favor of appointees of the Saigon government, and other unpopular measures instituted by Diem and his brother Nhu were:
the Diem regime alienated itself from one after another of
the elements within South Vietnam that might have given it
political support. Instead, Diem's paranoia with regard to
his personal security, and high-handedness made few friends
With the support of some non-communists, communist remnants in South Vietnam organized and waged a campaign to wrest control of the populous Mekong Delta and other rural areas from the Saigon government. This included assassinations of village chiefs and attacks on local militias. By 1960, their local political organization, the National Liberation Front and their military a
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