Office of the Historian

751G.00/4–2553

Memorandum, of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs (Bonsal)

secret
[Washington,] April 25, 1953.

Subject:

  • French Attitude Toward Bringing Invasion of Laos before the United Nations.

Participants:

  • The Honorable Henri Bonnet, French Ambassador
  • M. Millet, Counselor, French Embassy
  • Ambassador Donald R. Heath
  • Mr. U. Alexis Johnson
  • Mr. Philip W. Bonsal

The French Ambassador came in at his request today in order to discuss certain representations which the French Ambassador, Bangkok, has made to the Thai Government. The French Government would like the United States Ambassador in Bangkok to support these representations which have to do with the best movement of supplies, including eventually ammunition, through Thailand to the Franco-Laotian forces defending Laos and also with the evacuation via Thailand of French and Laotian civilians and “notables” who might not be needed for the defense of cities of Laos currently threatened. Mr. Johnson indicated that we would study the request of the French Government. (After the Ambassador’s departure, Deptel 2009 was sent to Bangkok authorizing Ambassador Stanton to support the French representations.)1

[Page 507]

In the course of the conversation, the French Ambassador was asked for the views of the French Government regarding the possibility of bringing the invasion of Laos before the UN. The Ambassador said that the possibility had been considered and had been discussed with the Government of Laos. He stated that for the present it was not believed advisable to proceed with an appeal to the UN for the following reasons:

(a)
An appeal to the UN might encourage Chinese Communist “volunteers” to come to the assistance of the Viet Minh as they had done in the case of Korea when they entered Korea to support the North Koreans. (The Ambassador’s reasoning on this point was not very clear; he evidently believes that an internationalizing of the conflict would probably increase the strength of the enemy without any increase of strength on the side of France and the Associated States.)
(b)
The Ambassador stated that an appeal to the UN would probably encourage a lot of futile discussion of the issue of “colonialism” and would not therefore be particularly helpful in the struggle against Communist aggression in Indochina.

  1. Telegram 2009 to Bangkok, Apr. 25, is not printed. (751G.00/4–2553) In telegram 2123 from Bangkok, Apr. 28, Ambassador Stanton reported that the hope had been expressed to Thai officials that the French representations would receive favorable consideration. The Thai officials appeared reluctant to accede to the French request for permission to ship supplies through Thailand. (751G.00/4–2853)↩