Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXVIII, Laos

313. Memorandum of Conversation¹

Washington, October 20, 1967, 1 p.m.

SUBJECT

• Suggestion for a Bombing Pause in North Vietnam

PARTICIPANTS

• The President
• Prince Souvanna Phouma, Prime Minister of Laos
• A. Toumayan, Interpreter

During his luncheon with the President, the Prime Minister formulated in greater detail his proposal regarding a pause in the bombing: the United States should bomb very intensively during the months of November and December, destroying practically every strategic objective still left in North Vietnam. It should then proclaim a halt to the bombing around Christmas or New Year without in any way indicating for how long it intended to stop the bombing. This pause would be in response to demands of public opinion both here and abroad and to the statements made by a number of governments (Canada, France, the Soviet Union, the Netherlands, etc.) that by stopping the bombings the United States would create a climate favorable to the initiation of negotiations. Although the bombing would be halted over North Vietnam, the United States should continue to bomb very intensively all access roads leading from North Vietnam into Laos to preclude the infiltration of men and supplies through Laos. This could easily be achieved by blocking a limited number of mountain passes which were the only accesses into Laos; these were mountainous terrains with no population and no Lao citizen would suffer from these bombings.

After about a week of the bombing pause the United States should begin to pressure the governments mentioned above to help bring about negotiations. After another eight days or so, if there still had been no opening of talks, the United States should redouble its pressure on these countries, pointing out that the United States had brought the bombing to a halt and that there were still no talks with Hanoi. The Prime Minister felt that if after two to three weeks there had been no indication that Hanoi was going to open talks, the United States, having demonstrated its good-will to the world, could resume its freedom of action without further delay.²

1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Visit of Souvanna Phouma, 10/20–21/67. Top Secret; Exclusive Distribution. Drafted by Toumayan and Slutz.
2. At 3:30 p.m. on October 20, Souvanna met with Harriman. They discussed Pathet Lao defections, the whereabouts of Souphanouvong, the RLG offensive against the Pathet Lao begun in 1965, use of the Laos corridor, the NLF, South Vietnam, Cambodia, and the role of the Soviet Union in Laos. Souvanna noted that whenever he asked the Soviets about Laos, they replied: “Be patient, your problems will be solved as soon as the problem of Vietnam is solved.” (Memoranda of conversation, both October 20; Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 LAOS) Harriman and Souvanna also discussed a bombing pause against North Vietnam. (Memorandum of conversation, October 20; Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Harriman Papers, Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, Souvanna Phouma)