Office of the Historian

249. Memorandum From the Acting Director of Central Intelligence (Cabell) to the Secretary of State1

Washington, September 28, 1956.

SUBJECT

  • Transmittal of Cable from Mr. Allen W. Dulles Concerning the Security and Political Situation in Cambodia2

On 25 September 1956 we received a cable from Mr. Allen W. Dulles in Singapore which is paraphrased as follows:

  • “1. Ambassador McClintock and I had a long talk with Prince Sihanouk on 21 September about which the Ambassador has reported.3 Sihanouk is supremely confident of the correctness of and popular [Page 550] support for his policy of neutrality. He is also over-confident of his ability of dealing with Communist subversive tactics, particularly those based on large Chinese and Vietnamese indigenous populations. In any event I see no early prospect either of arguing or cudgelling him out of his position …. Sihanouk is certainly no Communist, but is naive in putting trust in Communist promises. Our best bet as I see it is to build up the Police and counter subversive forces so that as Communist activities become more blatant his own people will be able to report hard facts to him.
  • “2. It is important that prompt advantages be taken of the apparent shift in Cambodia’s attitude regarding the acceptance of American advice and assistance in an internal security program. This is reflection of a growing realization on the part of Cambodian leaders, not including Sihanouk, of the subversive dangers inherent in the presence of Chinese Communist or other aid missions. Ambassador McClintock is cabling details of talks on this subject with Prince Sihanouk, Dap Chhuon, Minister of Internal Security, and Loeung Nol, his assistant.4 …
  • “4. The strength of the pro-Viet Minh community in Phnom Penh may pose a greater immediate threat to Cambodian security than the Chinese. The Vietnamese community is being used as a main base for already strained Cambodian-Vietnamese relations.
  • “5. Diem in a conversation with me referred to Sihanouk as a ‘fool’ and was outspoken in his hostility toward the present Cambodian regime.…
  • “6. At the moment Sihanouk is the focus of virtually all power in Cambodia and it is vital that a way be found to increase and improve our relations and our access to him. At present he is aloof from American representatives other than on official occasions and there is apparently no effective way of countering his own misconceptions concerning American policy and intentions or the spate of anti-American charges being fed him from various sources. Some senior person in the U.S. community in Cambodia should be skilled in French and have a flair for music and other cultural interests of Sihanouk, who feels he knows Cambodia’s needs better than outsiders and … .”

C.P. Cabell
Lieutenant General, USAF
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751H.00/9–2856. Secret.↩
  2. Allen Dulles took an extensive world tour August–October 1956. He was in Cambodia September 21–22.↩
  3. McClintock described this conversation as follows:

    “In interview lasting more than hour last night Prince Sihanouk gave Allen Dulles complete résumé his views on internal and external policy of Cambodia. Nothing new in this account, at least to me who had been listening to similar harangues over period of two years.” (Telegram 357 from Phnom Penh, September 22; Department of State, Central Files, 751H.00/9–2256)

    ↩
  4. See telegram 402, infra.↩