Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume VI

SEAC Files: Lot 53D255

Memorandum by the Department of Defense Member on the Southeast Asia Aid Policy Committee (Malony)

secret
SEAC D–27

Washington, October 31, 1950.¹

Subject: U.S. Position With Respect to Thailand, Burma and Malaya

Problem

To determine what policies are required to strengthen the security of Thailand, Burma and Malaya, individually or together, in order both to increase the effectiveness of U.S. policies in Indochina and to anticipate the possible loss of all or part of Indochina.

Discussion

The security of Thailand is closely related to the security of Indochina. If Communist forces gain control of Laos and Tonkin, they would outflank and endanger Northeastern Thailand, develop a direct overland route for passage of arms from South China to Thailand, and, to a lesser extent, would threaten Eastern Burma. At the present time the Thailand government has inadequate internal forces to cope with such a threat.

Thailand is the one country in Southeast Asia that has remained free of colonial control. U.S. officials have formed a healthy respect for the independent thinking of the Thai government and the relatively competent manner in which the Thai people seem to handle their problems. Accordingly, and in view of the extremely complicated Indochina situation, it might be advisable for the U.S. government to consider its policy with respect to Thailand, in particular. As a long-term policy, the U.S. might well put greater effort and interest in Thailand insofar as Southeast Asia is concerned.

Burma is an area primarily of British interest and relationship. In view of the long common frontier between Burma and Thailand, the U.S. should take an interest, from the military point of view, in promoting closer relations between these two countries, in aiding The British Service Mission, and in establishing appropriate bilateral relations between Burma and the U.S.

Malaya is significant in this area because it is a large source of dollar earnings for the United Kingdom. These earnings, in turn, affect British capabilities within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Accordingly, it is important to strengthen the defense of Burma, Thailand and Indochina in order to keep the threat of Communist encroachment as far away from Malaya as possible.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the Southeast Asia Aid Policy Committee (a) consider the desirability of defining U.S. policy on the above problem, (b) establish a working group to draft a policy statement for NSC consideration, and (c) indicate the Committee’s interest in this problem, through proper channels, to the Intelligence Advisory Committee,² for the purpose of obtaining a national estimate of the U.S. security interests involved in the problem.³

H. J. Malony

Major General, USA (Ret.)

1. Drafted on October 30 and circulated as document SEAC D–27 on October 31.
2. The interdepartmental Intelligence Advisory Committee, established in 1947 pursuant to a National Security Council directive, advised the Director of Central Intelligence on maintenance of coordination between the Central Intelligence Agency and other governmental intelligence organizations.
3. This memorandum was approved by the Southeast Asia Aid Policy Committee at its Seventh Meeting, October 31 (SEAC Files: Lot 53D255).