 Through Nhu's purpose in leaking the meeting was to blackmail the United States with the message if Kennedy continued to criticize Diem's handling of the Buddhist crisis, then Diem would reach an understanding with the Communists, the Kennedy administration reacted with fury at what Alsop had revealed.Roger Hilsman in a message to the Secretary of State Dean Rusk urged that a coup against Diem be encouraged to take place promptly, saying that the mere possibility that Diem might make a deal with the Communists meant that he had to go.There have been many interpretations of the Buddhist crisis and the immolation of Thích Quảng Đức in 1963.