Paratroopers and marines quietly surrounded the houses occupied by South Viet Nam’s Chief of State, General Duong Van (“Big”) Minh, and four other top members of his ruling junta.

Known popularly as "Big Minh," Duong led the South Vietnamese army under prime minister Ngo Dinh Diem. In 1963, he became leader of South Vietnam after a coup in which Diem was murdered.