Office of the Historian

223. Letter From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Gray)1

Washington, December 15, 1955.

Dear Gordon: After receipt of your letter I–15610/5, November 16, 1955,2 the Department of State sent a cable to our Embassy in Phnom Penh3 pointing out the views of the Department of Defense as contained in your letter that the French training mission in Cambodia is unsatisfactory and that the United States should continue to press for a phased withdrawal and ultimate elimination of the French military mission in Cambodia so that the United States could assume sole control over all training of Cambodian Armed Forces. In this cable, it was further pointed out that the Department of Defense will commence development of plans for the augmentation of MAAG in Cambodia with the necessary training personnel so that the United [Page 495] States could assume sole control over all training of Cambodian Armed Forces as soon as it was determined politically feasible to do so.

In this telegram the Department of State inquired as to the feasibility of the United States assuming sole responsibility for training Cambodian forces and requested the Embassy to consider other possibilities for training.

In reply,4 the Ambassador and other members of the Country Team concurred in the Department of Defense estimate as to the ineffectiveness of the French training in Cambodia. The Ambassador stated, however, that it would not be possible at this time to approach the Cambodian Government to negotiate assumption by the United States of sole responsibility for training the Cambodian forces. The Ambassador believes, however, that after more contact with United States weapons and MAAG administration, the Cambodian Armed Forces themselves will ultimately come to request United States training, at first on a piecemeal basis and eventually sole responsibility. The Ambassador suggests that it might be possible to begin negotiations next Spring for the establishment of a United States MAAG training mission in Cambodia. The Ambassador therefore welcomes the readiness on the part of the Department of Defense to commence development of plans for augmentation of the MAAG in Cambodia and suggests that part of the training should include courses in French.

I suggest that we maintain constant surveillance of this problem in the coming months so that we can commence effective training of the Cambodian forces at the earliest possible date.

Sincerely yours,

Walter S. Robertson5
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751H.5/12–1555. Secret. Drafted by Price and cleared with PSA, WE, and U/MSA.↩
  2. Document 221.↩
  3. Telegram 564 to Phnom Penh, November 28, not printed. (Department of State, Central Files, 751H.5–MSP/12–1555)↩
  4. Telegram 663 from Phnom Penh, November 29, not printed. (ibid., 751H.00/11–2955)↩
  5. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩