488. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to President Kennedy0
Prince Souvanna Phouma
You will be meeting with Prince Souvanna Phouma on Monday at 5 p.m.1 I attach the State Department’s briefing paper.2
The situation in Laos is temporarily static, since the rainy season is in full swing. Our military people think that the forces on the two sides in the Plain of Jars are now approximately balanced, assuming of course that the Viet Minh do not choose to disturb it.
The Pathet Lao, through Souphanouvong and Phoumi Vongvichit, have been making noises which sound as if they wish to return to Vientiane and the status quo before the Foreign Minister’s assassination last winter; but we have not been able to assess accurately whether they mean it or are merely putting up a smoke screen.
The French and the British have finally come around and agreed to put $1.7 million each into the proposed stabilization fund. The Australians are considering a similar contribution, so that for once we may not be entirely alone.
Souvanna Phouma probably needs a morale boost; and if he gets that in Washington, we can count his visit worthwhile.
- Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, General, 8/63–9/63. Confidential. Drafted by Forrestal. A note on the source text indicates it was taken from the President’s weekend reading, September 21–22.↩
- See Document 489. Souvanna Phouma was visiting the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York.↩
- Attached, but not printed.↩