Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume XII, Part 1

Secretary’s Memoranda of Conversation, lot 64 D 199

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Officer in Charge of Thai and Malayan Affairs (Landon)

secret

[Washington,] July 9, 1954.

Subject:

• Defense Arrangements for Thailand.

Participants:

• The Secretary
• His Excellency Pote Sarasiny Ambassador of Thailand
• Kenneth P. Landon—PSA

The Thai Ambassador called at the invitation of the Secretary who referred to the discussions recently held at Washington with Sir Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden in regard to collective defense arrangements for Southeast Asia. The Secretary explained that a working committee had been established consisting of U.K. and U.S. officials who have been discussing the pattern and nature of possible collective defense arrangements. He indicated that some progress had been made already and that it was desired to keep the Thai Government fully informed in order to take advantage of any Thai views on the subject.¹ The Secretary described a line across northern Thailand including perhaps Laos, Cambodia and most of Vietnam which the interested nations would guarantee against foreign aggression and would assist against subversion.² He said that the possibility exists that France, Laos, Cambodia³ and Vietnam, as a result of agreements being reached at Geneva, might not be able to participate as active members in a collective defense arrangement but would be neutral. Nevertheless, those areas of the Associated States remaining in the free world could be included in the plans of the other concerned nations.

The Secretary indicated that the initial group of nations might consist of Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, the U.K., France, Australia and New Zealand.

[Here follows the remainder of this memorandum scheduled for publication in the compilation on Indonesia in Part 2.]

1. Documents in file 790.5 for July 1954 indicate that the Thai and Philippine Governments received copies of the draft security treaty of July 9 on July 14; see p. 686.
2. The Secretary had previously described such a line to Prince Wan in a conversation held July 1. “The Secretary said the general idea was that it would be desirable to draw a line in Southeast Asia which might include Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and perhaps part of Vietnam which the interested nations would agree to protect against Communist aggression, agreeing that in case of such aggression they would oppose it by military force where it occurred as well as at its source. The Secretary added that since the week-end discussions [the Churchill-Eden visit] he had already discussed the general plan with representatives of Australia and New Zealand who were agreeable in general with the proposed line.” (Memorandum of conversation by Landon, drafted July 2; 790.00/7–154)
3. In a conversation held July 2, Nong Kimny, Ambassador of Cambodia, had informed Drumright that Cambodia desired to participate in a Southeast Asian defense organization. (Memorandum of conversation by Day; 790.5/7–254)