746E.00/4–2454: Telegram
The Ambassador in Ceylon (Crowe) to the Department of State1
333. J. R. Jayewardene, Minister of Agriculture and one of two Cabinet members who will sit in with Prime Minister at forthcoming meeting Prime Ministers (other being Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, Minister of Finance and Governor General designate), told me this morning that rumors that Cabinet was split on issue of landing in Ceylon of US planes carrying French paratroopers was entirely false. He said Cabinet backed Prime Minister’s firm stand on this issue and will also back his firm anti-Communist stand at conference. He said that rumored Indian proposals to solve Indo-China problem would not be supported by Ceylon. (Ref Embtel 329, April 23, 1954)2
Discussing rubber deal with Red China he said that Prime Minister is anxious not to sign up for another year and queried me on what, if any, aid might be expected from U.S. if rubber deal was abandoned. I replied I had no idea but that my government would certainly regard such a move as an earnest example of Ceylon’s strong anti-Communist position. He told me that Ceylon has profited by approximately thirty million U.S. dollars for three year period of deal with China. He then said that United National Party was having a hard time keeping rural support and that ten million U.S. dollars would make all the difference to hospital, irrigation and road programs.
I also talked this morning to Sir Kanthiah Vaithianathan, Minister of Housing and former secretary of External Affairs. Even though a [Page 1609] Tamil and reported to be pro-Indian on certain issues, Sir Kanthiah told me frankly he considered U.S. position on Indo-China correct and that he believed Ceylonese Government would not be led by Nehru into a denunciation of it. He added that he thought the conference could only end in a stalemate and would accomplish little.
Today’s press reported that seven American Globemaster planes passed through Colombo yesterday and day before on way to Indo-China carrying French paratroopers in civilian clothes. J. R. Jayewardene also told me this morning that Prime Minister, Sir Oliver Goonetilleke and he had called in Esmond Wickremasinghe, editor of Lake House Press, and demanded he not raise editorially issue airlift through Ceylon. This morning’s Daily News merely factually reported story, adding U.K. High Commissioner’s Office had said landing planes here matter entirely between Ceylon and American Government, U.S. Ambassador had made no comment, with respect to Colombo port no special attention paid to ships carrying large number French troops passing through Colombo regularly on way to and from Indo-China on regular French passenger ships which classified as “passenger ships” and not “troopers” because they also carried civilians, and that Pieter Keuneman, Communist Party leader had sent telegram to Prime Minister “strongly urging him follow lead GOI and refuse air and other facilities Ceylon to U.S. airplanes carrying troops for use against Asian peoples of Vietnam and for prolonging the colonial war.” Paper had no editorial.
Both afternoon papers today however took up issue. Times of Ceylon in editorial captioned “Fantastic” said officials Foreign Ministry had “yesterday morning blandly denied that clearance had been asked for or granted” and then noting that “Ceylon Government has not interfered with passage of seaborne troops destined for Indo-China and it would have been nothing extraordinary therefore to allow these troops to be airborne through Ceylon.” Editorial enquired why all the mystery and “What precisely are our External Affairs officials after.”
(Embassy comment: This is the most restrained editorial Times of Ceylon has published since issue over Indo-China first editorialized upon by it and in notable contrast all its previous violently emotional diatribes.)
Ceylon Observer, afternoon paper of Lake House Press reported in short article that it had learned that a senior official of External Affairs Ministry (although not mentioned by name official referred to must be Permanent Secretary reference Embtel 321, April 17)3 “treated French operation as matter of routine of no special significance” that U.S. Embassy requested permission three weeks ago for refueling [Page 1610] American planes at Katunayake Airport (Negombo), that official had not thought it sufficiently important to put up to Prime Minister for a decision and had acceded to American request on his own authority. (RefEmbtel 310, April 7)4
This article accompanied on front page by editorial entitled “Masterpiece of Bungling” which using External Affairs Ministry official as scapegoat plays right down Indian line. Stating that External Affairs official who thought permission was “just a routine matter” showed supreme naivete and then expressed its views by posing questions: “Did official who finally issued clearance inquire why Nehru had refused allow planes pass through India? Had he not heard that fall of that fortress (Dien Bien Phu)5 was imminent and that Asian Prime Ministers were preparing their briefs to demand cease fire at Colombo Conference which begins next week? (Ref Embtel 329, April 23) Had he not read up his file on Geneva Conference which has been specifically summoned to discuss Indo-China? Any event deed now done, question allowing French troops pass through Ceylon academic, news fall Dien Bien Phu may come any minute and Vietnamese independence practically in bag.”
- This telegram was repeated for information to New Delhi as telegram 67.↩
- See footnote 2, supra.↩
- Telegram 321 from Colombo, not printed, summarized a conversation between an Embassy official and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Gunasena de Soyza (751G.00/4–1754).↩
- The Department on Apr. 6 had requested the Embassy to secure permission from the Government of Ceylon for the American airlift of French troops to refuel in Ceylon (telegram 282 to Colombo, Apr. 6, 1954; 751G.00/4–654). The Embassy reported back that the Permanent Secretary of MEA had seen “no reason why his government should not grant clearance for the airlift” and that he was informing the Prime Minister the following day (telegram 310 from Colombo, Apr. 7, 1954; 751G.00/4–754). The Prime Minister provided definite clearance on Apr. 8 (telegram 314 from Colombo, Apr. 9, 1954; 751G.00/4–954).↩
- The French fortress at Dien Bien Phu was a key French defensive position under siege for many weeks by the Viet Minh nationalist forces in Vietnam. For documentation, see vol. xiii, Part 1, pp. 987 ff.↩