442. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Soviet Union

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27 Laos. Secret; Priority. Drafted by John C. Guthrie of SOV, cleared by Cross and Thompson, and approved by Harriman. Repeated priority to Vientiane.

443. Memorandum From Michael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staff to President Kennedy

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 1/63–2/63. Secret. A handwritten note on the source text by Forrestal reads: “Mac: The President has said O.K but he wants to know what our capabilities are to help?” A note in an unknown hand reads: “MF is finding the answers to the President’s question.”

444. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 1/63–2/63. Secret. Drafted by Edmund S. Glenn and approved by the White House on February 28. According to Kennedy’s appointment book, the meeting ended at 1 p.m. (Ibid., President’s Appointment Book) The Department of State prepared a briefing memorandum for the President in conjunction with the trip of King Savang and Souvanna to Washington, February 25–27. As the briefing paper made clear, Savang and Souvanna were on an initial round of visits to countries which had signed the Geneva Accords of 1962. Immediately before coming to the United States, they were in the Soviet Union. They would next visit Poland, China, and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam before returning to Vientiane. (Memorandum from Brubeck to McGeorge Bundy, February 21; Department of State, Central Files, POL 7 Laos)

On February 25 while the President was meeting with Savang and Souvanna, Rusk met with Foreign Minister Quinim Pholsena. Rusk and Quinim disagreed on their assessments of how well the control mechanism of the Geneva Agreements was working. Rusk specifically noted that North Vietnamese troops were still in Laos as were Chinese road builders in the northwest. Quinim countered that the ICC had investigated these North Vietnamese withdrawals and was satisfied. As for the Chinese workers, they were there by invitation and were not troops. (Ibid., POL Laos) On February 26, Harriman met with Quinim and asked him why the Royal Lao Government did not ask the ICC to investigate the presence of foreign troops in Laos, who ordered the Air America plane shot down, and who killed Colonel Ketsana. Harriman then said that he wanted to be absolutely frank: why were the Pathet Lao starving out Kong Le and attempting to destroy his forces loyal to Souvanna? (Ibid.)

445. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL Laos. Secret. Drafted by Toumayan and approved in the White House on March 3. The meeting, including the later discussion with the rest of the Lao party in the Cabinet Room of the White House, lasted until 5 p.m. (Kennedy Library, President’s Appointment Book)

446. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL 27–14 Laos. Secret; Priority. Repeated to Bangkok, CINCPAC for POLAD, Moscow, London, Paris, Saigon, Phnom Penh, New Delhi, and Ottawa.

447. Memorandum Prepared in the Central Intelligence Agency

Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 3/63. Secret; No Foreign Dissem. An accompanying map of Laos is not printed.