Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, East Asia-Pacific Region; Cambodia; Laos, Volume XVI

229. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (Murphy)¹

Washington, June 11, 1959.

SUBJECT

• Principles for Arrangements with Laos for the Improvement of Lao National Army Training

Discussion

Since October 1958 we have been informally discussing with French representatives in Vientiane ways and means of improving the state of training of the Lao National Army. The situation is complicated by the fact that, although the U.S. pays the entire cost of maintaining the Lao National Army, the situation arising out of the Geneva Accords in 1954 had prevented us from establishing a MAAG in Laos. A French Military Mission remains responsible for training. We have studied ways and means of improving Lao National Army training through U.S. participation in the training effort in a manner that will be satisfactory to the Royal Lao Government and at the same time avoid unfavorable international repercussions. Such repercussions would stem from British, Canadian and Indian reactions to any U.S. training effort that these nations would consider a violation of the Geneva Accords of 1954.

Officers of the Department and of the Defense Department held informal conversations in Paris the last week in May with representatives of the French Foreign Ministry and the French Defense Ministry on this problem. As a result of these conversations a draft of general principles was prepared taking into account the special situation created by the Geneva Accords in Laos (Tab A).² These principles could serve as a basis for an eventual arrangement with the Defense officials of Laos on the training of its army. They are now awaiting the approval of high level French Government officials. This arrangement would be reached in the general framework of the Pentalateral Agreement of December 23, 1950 (Mutual Defense Assistance in Indochina—Tab C)³ which provides, inter alia, for furnishing “equipment, material and services” to Laos.

They represent substantially a plan proposed by the American Defense representatives in Laos last October, modified to take into account what the French believe to be their special responsibilities in Laos under the Geneva Accords of 1954. Financing of the additional U.S. personnel under the plan is estimated at about $835,000; the Department of Defense has included this amount in the planned FY 1960 MAP training program for which appropriations are now being sought before the Congress and for which program approval request will be made to the Department in due course. Once these principles have been approved by both the French and American Governments as a basis for discussion with the Lao Government an approach to the Lao Government can be prepared. The special situation arising out of the Geneva Accords of 1954 would require that any arrangement with the Royal Lao Government be kept confidential.

Recommendation

That you: 1) approve the principles set forth in Tab A as a basis for a possible arrangement with the Lao Defense officials, as described above; and 2) authorize the communication to the French Government of notification of such Departmental approval, by signing the attached telegram (Tab B).⁴

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5–MSP/6–1159. Secret. Drafted by Corcoran and cleared with SEA, L, EUR/WE, W/MSC, and the Department of Defense.
2. Attached but not printed. Text of these principles is in telegram 4408 from Paris, May 29. (ibid., 751J.5/5–2959; included in the microfiche supplement)
3. 3 UST (pt. 2) 2758.
4. Reference is to telegram 4884 to Paris, June 13, in which the Department of State instructed the Embassy to inform the French Government that the United States approved the general principles on Lao training (see footnote 2 above). (Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5/6–959)