377. Memorandum of a Conversation, Blair House, Washington, May 9, 19571
SUBJECT
- The Situation in Laos
PARTICIPANTS
- His Excellency Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Republic of Viet-Nam
- His Excellency Tran Van Chuong, Ambassador of Viet-Nam
- His Excellency Nguyen Huu Chau, Secretary of State at the Presidency
- The Secretary of State
- The Honorable Elbridge Durbrow, American Ambassador
- The Honorable Walter S. Robertson, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs
- Mr. Kenneth T. Young, Jr., Director, Office of Southeast Asian Affairs
- Mr. Thomas J. Corcoran, Officer in Charge Viet-Nam Affairs
- Mr. Charles Sedgwick, Interpreter
The Secretary asked President Ngo what he thought would happen in Laos. The President replied that the Lao were frightened and that the Prime Minister had admitted as much to him six months ago during a visit to Saigon.2 Unfortunately the Lao did not have many political leaders and competition was keen among the few they did have. The only strong man was Katay the Vice Prime Minister. Phetsarath, now that he had returned,3 wanted to assume power and he had recently made some very neutralist statements. Furthermore Phetsarath had been soured, by many years of exile. Should Phetsarath assume power Katay would feel threatened and that would be serious because Katay has much army opinion and many civil servants on his side. Katay had frankly informed the Vietnamese representative that should the people deliver themselves into the hands of the Pathet Lao, he, Katay, would have to resort to a coup d’état and that he, Katay, feared Communist Vietnamese intervention in such an eventuality. However Ngo did not believe either the Vietnamese or the Chinese Communists would do anything because that would be an open act of aggression.
The Secretary said he believed that if there were such an open act of aggression we would not hesitate to intervene under the provisions of the SEATO Treaty.
Ngo said that Katay was a proud man but had admitted nevertheless that the Lao had an inferiority complex vis-à-vis both the Vietnamese Communist and the Republic of Viet-Nam forces.
Mr. Robertson asked how much influence Crown Prince Savang had. President Ngo replied that the Prince had practically no influence, that he was honest but slow. Mr. Robertson said that Savang was anti-communist. President Ngo agreed but said the Prince did not have much drive.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–957. Drafted by Corcoran on May 10. This discussion was part of the May 9 conversation.↩
- Apparent reference to Souvanna Phouma’s September 8–9, 1956, official visit to Vietnam.↩
- After a long exile, Prince Petsarath had returned to Laos in 1957 with the title of Viceroy.↩