 At Nhu 's request , Tung was reported to have been planning an operation under the cover of a government @-@ organised student demonstration outside the US Embassy , Saigon . In this plan , Tung 's men would assassinate ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge , Jr. and other key officials among the confusion . Another target was the Buddhist leader Thích Trí Quang , who had been given asylum in the embassy after being targeted in the pagoda raids . According to the plan , Tung 's men would then burn down the embassy . 
