 Complete the following phrase:  From mid-1963, the Kennedy administration became increasingly frustrated with South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diems corrupt and repressive rule and his persecution of the Buddhist majority. In light of Diems refusal to adopt reforms, American officials debated whether they should support efforts to replace him. These debates crystallized after the ARVN Special Forces, which took their orders directly from the palace, raided Buddhist temples across the country, leaving a death toll estimated in the hundreds, and resulted in the dispatch of Cable 243 on August 24, 1963, which instructed United States Ambassador to South Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., to examine all possible alternative leadership and make detailed plans as to how we might bring about Diems replacement if this should become necessary. Lodge and his liaison officer, Lucien Conein, contacted discontented Army of the Republic of Vietnam officers and gave assurances that the US would not oppose a coup or respond with aid cuts. These efforts culminated in 