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Vietnam: Ngo Dinh Diem (1901-1963), first President of the Republic of Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem (Vietnamese: Ngo Dinh Diem (January 3, 1901 November 2, 1963) was the first President of South Vietnam (1955 1963). In the wake of the French withdrawal from Indochina as a result of the 1954 Geneva Accords, Diem led the effort to create the Republic of Vietnam.<br ><br > Accruing considerable US support due to his staunch anti-Communism, he achieved victory in a 1955 plebiscite that was widely considered fraudulent. Proclaiming himself the Republic s first President, he demonstrated considerable political skill in the consolidation of his power, and his rule proved authoritarian, elitist, nepotistic, and corrupt.<br ><br > He was assassinat Copyright: xxPicturesxFromxHistoryx