Office of the Historian

112. Telegram From the Embassy in Cambodia to the Department of State1

Phnom Penh, March 4, 1964, 6 p.m.

880. Embtel 879.2 Now that Sihanouk has given us his draft and we have given him ours, we can hope his next move will throw at least partial light on his motives in presenting us with document which he must have recognized as unacceptable for varying reasons to all three governments to which addressed. Aside from such grossly objectionable features as 1) ultimatum aspect involved in time limit and explicit rejection in advance any substantive negotiation, 2) unilateral border assertions supported by maps, 3) requirement US pay for fixed border posts of ICC, and 4) placing onus of responsibility for indemnifying victims claimed SVN border violations, drafts contained more subtle technical booby traps such as requiring RKG consent for virtually all activities of ICC and reinsertion (numbered paragraph 5 proposed RKG declaration) of request for virtual guarantees.

Since Sihanouk and whichever of his advisors assisted him in preparing these formidable documents must have been aware of their inacceptability, we can only surmise he intends use anticipated rejection of them to attempt to prove before world opinion that he is left with no choice but to take actions foreshadowed his February 15 ultimatum (Embtel 790).3

If above reasoning correct, and without our presentation today of US drafts, Sihanouk might have been expected take his own time in denouncing unwillingness US, RTG, and GVN subscribe to his proposals. He might even have waited until his announced terminal date of March 31. However, introduction of unanticipated (by him) new element of US drafts might conceivably upset his timing and cause him to react sharply, possibly in form of immediate public blast which could come at any time but may be delayed until departure Souvanna Phouma, scheduled for March 7.

Spivack
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27–13 CAMB. Confidential; Immediate. Repeated to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, London, Paris, Saigon, Vientiane, and CINCPAC for POLAD. Passed to the White House.↩
  2. Dated March 4. (Ibid.)↩
  3. See footnote 3, Document 108.↩