President Diem persecuted the Viet Cong.
Ngô Đình Diệm
South Vietnam's president in 1957 was Mr. Ngo Dinh Diem.
President Diem in 1963.
was approved by President Kennedy.
In 1955 Mr. Ngo Dinh Diem became president of South Vietnam.
President Diem was strongly ANTI-COMMUNIST.
Diem.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Hesitantly, and very timidly, Kennedy did approve of the coup; however, he did it without warning Diem.
American Generals met with who organized the plot to overthrow and there may have been some participation in the overthrow of the Diem regime, but it doesn't seem JFK was involved directly. Within three weeks of the death of Diem Kennedy was dead.
Diem & Thieu