Office of the Historian

35. Summary Record of the 528th Meeting of the National Security Council1

Washington, April 22, 1964, 4:45 p.m.

SUBJECT

  • Cutback in Nuclear Production; Secretary Rusk’s Report and Vietnam; Asst. Secretary Bundy’s Report on Laos

Secretary Rusk chaired the meeting in the absence of the President and reported on his recent trip.2

[Here follows discussion of the SEATO meeting in Manila, a conversation with Chiang Kai-shek, and South Vietnam; for text, see Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, volume I, pages 258–262.]

The President joined the meeting. Secretary Rusk suggested that Assistant Secretary Bundy report on his trip to Laos.3

Mr. Bundy said Ambassador Unger and the country team are doing an excellent job. The Ambassador is cool and has good judgment. As of this morning, the chances looked pretty good that the former coalition will continue in power. The King may be successful in holding together the coalition government within the general Geneva framework. Souvanna Phouma, who last week was very discouraged and prepared to resign, is now ready to continue as Prime Minister. Possibly the effect of his having been under arrest for two days has changed his view about continuing as Prime Minister. The danger in Laos is that right-wing hotheads who promoted the military revolution and who now have military [Page 65] control of Vientiane may refuse to accept the compromise and break out despite the opposition of Phoumi and other senior officers. Siho is a real thug and very bad news. Kouprasith is a reasonably intelligent officer. Phoumi has been reasonable and denies that he took any part in the recent coup. He promised to try to get back to the situation where they were before the right-wing officers overthrew the coalition. A rightist push may, however, come later. Our short-term problem is to keep the hotheads from preventing the restored coalition government regaining power. We are considering a cable to our Ambassador authorizing him to tell the right-wing hotheads that the U.S. will not support their forces and will continue U.S. assistance to the other military forces. We must always remember that it was the Pathet Lao who were responsible for breaking up the conference at the Plaine des Jarres and preventing the coalition from working. The Pathet Lao created the situation which led to the right-wing revolt.

Secretary Rusk said he had warned Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin of the importance we place on keeping the Pathet Lao from taking advantage of the current chaotic situation in Laos.4 He said the Soviets plan to refer publicly to their continuing support of the Geneva Accords.

[Here follows discussion of cutbacks in nuclear production.]

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, NSC Meetings, Vol. I, Tab 9. Top Secret.↩
  2. Rusk and Bundy traveled to Saigon before and after the SEATO Council meeting in Manila, April 13–15. Documentation on that trip is in Foreign Relations, 1964–1968, vol. I, pp. 234 ff.↩
  3. Regarding Bundy’s trip to Laos, see footnote 4, Document 24.↩
  4. See Document 34.↩