419. Memorandum of Presidential Conference0
SUBJECT
- Economic Assistance for Laos, 1963 Program
The President met with Governor Harriman, Messrs. Fowler, Kaysen, Mann, Sullivan, Wehrle and Forrestal in the Cabinet Room at 4 o’clock today.1
Mr. Fowler briefed the memorandum on proposed AID program for Laos FY 19632 which had been prepared at the Presidential request.
After an extensive discussion of the proposed program, the President approved the memorandum and directed Governor Harriman to arrange for formal consultations with the UK and France on the amount of aid which those two countries would contribute to the Government of National Union of Laos. The President emphasized that it was important to have the British and French share with us the burden of preserving the political stability of the new government. He observed that both France and the UK had urged us to support Phouma and that both countries accounted for a substantial percentage of goods and commodities imported by Laos.
Charles Mann, the new AID Director for Laos, and Roy Wehrle, the temporary economic advisor to our Ambassador and AID Director in Vientiane, were introduced to the President.
- Source: Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, Laos: General, 8/1/62–8/22/62. Secret. Drafted by Forrestal.↩
- According to Kennedy’s appointment book, the meeting lasted from 4:10 to 4:45 p.m. Koren attended and Sullivan did not. (Ibid., President’s Appointment Book) James R. Fowler was Deputy Administrator, Far East, Agency for International Development.↩
- See footnote 2, Document 418.↩