 Following the pagoda raids , the U.S. began exploring the possibility of replacing Diệm . Cable 243 informed the US embassy to look for alternative leadership if Diệm did not remove Nhu . In September , the Krulak Mendenhall mission was despatched to South Vietnam to analyse the domestic situation and the war against the communists . One of the resulting suggestions was to terminate funding of the special forces as an expression of disapproval of Tung and Nhu 's actions . Another was to run covert campaigns to discredit Tung . The Krulak Mendenhall mission ended in a stalemate , so the Kennedy administration followed up with the McNamara Taylor mission . The second expedition resulted in the suspension of funding for the special forces until they were placed under the command of the army 's Joint General Staff ( JGS ) and sent into battle . 
