Office of the Historian

36. Memorandum of Conversation0

Washington, September 28, 1962, 4 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • US-Thai Relations

PARTICIPANTS

  • The President
  • Mr. Pote Sarasin, Secretary General, SEATO
  • Gov. W. Averell Harriman, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Edward E. Masters, Officer-in-Charge, Thai Desk

Mr. Sarasin said SEATO has served and continues to serve a very useful purpose. Its problems stem largely from the diverse interests and geographic separation of its members. These differing interests have made it difficult to reach agreed decisions in times of crisis. However, we should look at the positive side. We should consider what might have happened if SEATO did not exist. SEATO’s value is emphasized by the fact that it provides a vehicle for US protection in the area.

President Kennedy said SEATO is important to us. It gives us a treaty basis for our actions in South Viet-Nam and Thailand and provides the basis on which we have extended guarantees to Thailand. The President cited the movement of troops to Thailand in May 1962 as a positive and constructive action taken under our SEATO obligations. The President congratulated Mr. Sarasin for his constructive role in SEATO and said he hoped the Secretary General would feel encouraged to continue his useful efforts.

Mr. Sarasin outlined briefly the various proposals to change SEATO’s voting procedures. He said one nation obviously could not commit another to act. However, several nations could decide to take action despite a lack of unanimity and such action would be considered to be under their treaty obligations. He said Thailand believes we must end the present situation in which it takes months to decide simple matters.

[Page 76]

Citing the example of SEATO Plan 5,1 President Kennedy expressed the view that SEATO Military Planning is sometimes not very realistic. He said we need to get this military planning as close to political realities as possible.

[Here follows discussion of U.S.-Thai relations; see Document 467.]

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.92/9–2862. Secret. Drafted by Masters and cleared in the White House on October 15. The meeting lasted until 4:42 p.m. (Kennedy Library, President’s Appointment Book) A short briefing paper for this meeting prepared by Forrestal and emphasizing U.S.-Thai relations is printed as Document 466. The Department of State sent a more extensive briefing paper to the White House. (Memorandum from Brubeck to O’Donnell, September 27; Department of State, Central Files, 379/9–2762)↩
  2. See footnote 2, Document 405.↩