Acknowledgments  ix

Introduction  1

1. "Colonialism, Communism, or Catholicism?": Mr. Diem Goes to Washington   25

2. "Our System Demands the Supreme Being": America's Third Great Awakening  60

3. "These People Aren't Complicated": America's "Asia" at Midcentury   88

4. "Christ Crucified in Indo-China": Tom Dooley and the North Vietnamese Refugees   127

5. "The Sects and the Gangs Mean to Get Rid of the Saint": "Lightning Joe" Collins and the Battle for Saigon   172

6. "This God-Fearing Anti-Communist": The Vietnam Lobby and the Selling of Ngo Dinh Diem   217

Conclusion   263

Notes   277

Bibliography   339

Index   367

"Excellent. . . .Vietnamese politics . . . are . . . presented here with unusual clarity. Jacobs' style is notably vivid and forceful, while nowhere evading the convolutions of the actual situation on the ground. . . .This is a fine book. . . .The inevitable conclusion you reach after reading this fascinating book is that while so much has changed in the world, some things have not changed at all."—Bradley Winterton, Taipei Times

"The author offers an interesting interpretation in his re-examination of Diem. . . ."—Ronald Frankum, Journal of Church and State

"[O]utstanding. . . . [A]n excellent book that is highly recommended to students of the Vietnam War, Cold War America and the history of American foreign relations."—Robert K. Brigham, International Affairs

"America's Miracle Man in Vietnam is . . . a valuable contribution to the story of America's fateful commitment to the government of Ngo Dinh Diem and provides a thought-provoking analysis as to why that commitment was made."—Joseph G. Morgan, The Catholic Historical Review

"[I]nsightful, engaging, and challenging."—Richard H. Immerman, Cold War History

"[A]n excellent choice for readers who want to understand why the U.S. remained committed to Diem for almost a decade."—Judith R. Johnson, History, Reviews of New Books

"The book is that rarest of breeds, a superb work of scholarly history that is as compellingly written and imaginatively conceived as it is deeply researched. . . . Jacobs presents a persuasive and innovative thesis that will surely become one of the benchmarks on Dwight D. Eisenhower's foreign policy in general and the United States' descent into Vietnam in particular."—Andrew Preston, International History Review

“Jacobs’ book is highly readable; he writes with verve, even passion, as he takes us on a tour through the ‘Vietnam lobby. . .’. [T]here is much here that will be of interest to scholars and other readers.—Robert Edwin Herzstein, American Historical Review

“[R]ichly detailed, engagingly written. . . . America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam . . . unquestionably merits the careful attention of historians in various fields.”—Mark Atwood Lawrence, The Journal of American History

“[H]ighly readable. . . .”—Stewart Dalby, Asian Affairs

“Seth Jacobs has provided the most authoritative and persuasive account of the invention of Diem as America’s ‘miracle man.’ . . . America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam is the one book that I wish had existed when I was conducting my own research! Now that it is here, historians of the Vietnam era and postwar American religion will find their work greatly enriched by this provocative, wonderfully well-written book.”—James Fisher, American Catholic Studies

“In this thoughtprovoking and engaging book, Seth Jacobs takes a fresh look at the origins of
Washington’s decision to ‘sink or swim with Ngo Dinh Diem.’ . . . This book offers new and important insights into the making of US policy. . . .”—Philip E. Catton, Journal of Vietnamese Studies

“Well researched and written, America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam is a welcome addition to the Diem debate. Jacobs demonstrates an excellent command of the secondary literature on nation building and effectively draws upon a wide range of archival resources . . . .”—John Ernst, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

“Jacobs’s volume is a worthy addition to an abundant collection of diplomatic and cultural history of America in the 1950s. His angle of religious of ideology and racism brings fresh perspectives to the study of the Vietnam War.”—Peter Phan, Journal of Religion

“Any scholar interested in the origins of America’s involvement in Vietnam should warmly welcome Seth Jacobs’ America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam. Emphasizing the importance of religion and race in explaining why the United States backed Ngo Dinh Diem in the early 1950s. Jacobs breathes new life into a topic that many scholars probably thought had been fully explored. Written in a lively, engaging style that will appeal to both specialists and general reasons. . .”—James McAllister, Pacific Historical Review

“[W]ell-researched and interesting.”—Peter Brush, Vietnam

“Masterfully weaving together issues of race, religion, and domestic and foreign politics. . . Jacobs has produced a first-rate work of scholarship certain to deepen our understanding of the origins of the U.S. commitment to the Republic of Vietnam. Must reading for scholars of the American wars in Southeast Asia, Jacobs’s book deserves the widest possible audience. . .”—Scott Laderman, Reviews in American History

“[A] broadly researched and well-written book. . . . Highly recommended.”—D.N. Buckaloo, Choice

“In this innovative and lucid treatment, Jacobs recaptures a moment when religion had an unusual and influential hold on public life, and tragically, on foreign affairs.”—Nick Cullather, Diplomatic History

"Excellent. . . .Vietnamese politics . . . are . . . presented here with unusual clarity. Jacobs' style is notably vivid and forceful, while nowhere evading the convolutions of the actual situation on the ground. . . .This is a fine book. . . .The inevitable conclusion you reach after reading this fascinating book is that while so much has changed in the world, some things have not changed at all."—Bradley Winterton, Taipei Times

"The author offers an interesting interpretation in his re-examination of Diem. . . ."—Ronald Frankum, Journal of Church and State

"[O]utstanding. . . . [A]n excellent book that is highly recommended to students of the Vietnam War, Cold War America and the history of American foreign relations."—Robert K. Brigham, International Affairs

"America's Miracle Man in Vietnam is . . . a valuable contribution to the story of America's fateful commitment to the government of Ngo Dinh Diem and provides a thought-provoking analysis as to why that commitment was made."—Joseph G. Morgan, The Catholic Historical Review

"[I]nsightful, engaging, and challenging."—Richard H. Immerman, Cold War History

"[A]n excellent choice for readers who want to understand why the U.S. remained committed to Diem for almost a decade."—Judith R. Johnson, History, Reviews of New Books

"The book is that rarest of breeds, a superb work of scholarly history that is as compellingly written and imaginatively conceived as it is deeply researched. . . . Jacobs presents a persuasive and innovative thesis that will surely become one of the benchmarks on Dwight D. Eisenhower's foreign policy in general and the United States' descent into Vietnam in particular."—Andrew Preston, International History Review

“Jacobs’ book is highly readable; he writes with verve, even passion, as he takes us on a tour through the ‘Vietnam lobby. . .’. [T]here is much here that will be of interest to scholars and other readers.—Robert Edwin Herzstein, American Historical Review

“[R]ichly detailed, engagingly written. . . . America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam . . . unquestionably merits the careful attention of historians in various fields.”—Mark Atwood Lawrence, The Journal of American History

“[H]ighly readable. . . .”—Stewart Dalby, Asian Affairs

“Seth Jacobs has provided the most authoritative and persuasive account of the invention of Diem as America’s ‘miracle man.’ . . . America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam is the one book that I wish had existed when I was conducting my own research! Now that it is here, historians of the Vietnam era and postwar American religion will find their work greatly enriched by this provocative, wonderfully well-written book.”—James Fisher, American Catholic Studies

“In this thoughtprovoking and engaging book, Seth Jacobs takes a fresh look at the origins of
Washington’s decision to ‘sink or swim with Ngo Dinh Diem.’ . . . This book offers new and important insights into the making of US policy. . . .”—Philip E. Catton, Journal of Vietnamese Studies

“Well researched and written, America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam is a welcome addition to the Diem debate. Jacobs demonstrates an excellent command of the secondary literature on nation building and effectively draws upon a wide range of archival resources . . . .”—John Ernst, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

“Jacobs’s volume is a worthy addition to an abundant collection of diplomatic and cultural history of America in the 1950s. His angle of religious of ideology and racism brings fresh perspectives to the study of the Vietnam War.”—Peter Phan, Journal of Religion

“Any scholar interested in the origins of America’s involvement in Vietnam should warmly welcome Seth Jacobs’ America’s Miracle Man in Vietnam. Emphasizing the importance of religion and race in explaining why the United States backed Ngo Dinh Diem in the early 1950s. Jacobs breathes new life into a topic that many scholars probably thought had been fully explored. Written in a lively, engaging style that will appeal to both specialists and general reasons. . .”—James McAllister, Pacific Historical Review

“[W]ell-researched and interesting.”—Peter Brush, Vietnam

“Masterfully weaving together issues of race, religion, and domestic and foreign politics. . . Jacobs has produced a first-rate work of scholarship certain to deepen our understanding of the origins of the U.S. commitment to the Republic of Vietnam. Must reading for scholars of the American wars in Southeast Asia, Jacobs’s book deserves the widest possible audience. . .”—Scott Laderman, Reviews in American History

“[A] broadly researched and well-written book. . . . Highly recommended.”—D.N. Buckaloo, Choice

“In this innovative and lucid treatment, Jacobs recaptures a moment when religion had an unusual and influential hold on public life, and tragically, on foreign affairs.”—Nick Cullather, Diplomatic History

“Seth Jacobs makes a seminal contribution to the study of the origins of American involvement in Vietnam. Combining prodigious research in a rich variety of primary sources, a sophisticated conceptual framework that illuminates the intersection of high politics and popular culture, and an especially engaging writing style, Jacobs fundamentally recasts how we view this critical period in the history of the Vietnam wars and the Cold War.”—Mark Bradley, author of Imagining Vietnam and America: The Making of Postcolonial Vietnam, 1919–1950

“Seth Jacobs’s interesting and provocative argument adds a new interpretation to the massive literature on the United States and the path toward full deployment in Vietnam. Jacobs writes with a lively, punchy style that makes his work both entertaining and instructive.”—Michael Latham, author of Modernization as Ideology: American Social Science and ‘Nation Building’ in the Kennedy Era

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