South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem is assassinated, November 2, 1963
A US-backed coup has overthrown the Diem government. Diem and his brother sneaked out of the presidential palace, literally running for their lives. The brothers, having taken refuge in St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, have been recognized and are waiting to be arrested and deported from the country. Diem has readied himself by stuffing a briefcase with US banknotes. Vietnamese soldiers tie the hands of the Diem brothers and transport them to a railroad crossing. One of the soldiers then calmly places his finger on the trigger of his semiautomatic weapon and fires a bullet into the back of President Diem’s skull.