48. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Department of State1
Dulte 18. Eyes only Acting Secretary for President from Secretary.
“Dear Mr. President: Am now en route to Manila after two very strenuous days visiting Vientiane, Phnom Penh and Saigon.2 Overall impression is here exists native leadership which if stimulated, guided and supported has good chance to hold the area. In Laos Crown Prince is able and has some able ministers although present Prime Minister3 is man of hesitations.
Big problem is to clear the Communists out of the two Pathet Lao provinces. It is believed that government has the power to do this but is reluctant to act fearing this may provoke open invasion by Viet Minh or from China. I sought to assure them that Manila Pact would deter such open, armed aggression, and I hope they may act soon as delays merely increase the Communist buildup.
In Cambodia the King4 is vigorous and full of ideas. On the whole he is healthy influence although some of his theories show immaturity. Big problem there is to work out military training arrangements. I spent considerable time working with French at Phnom Penh and Saigon and hope that we can find the solution on lines of our last talk at the White House. This, I know, is not satisfactory from a military standpoint, but it provides a politically acceptable formula which might work and which if it does not work can later [Page 97] be discarded in favor of something better. At least it would enable us to get going.
In Saigon I was favorably impressed by Diem who is much more of a personality than I had anticipated. He is not without defects, but his merits seemed greater than I had thought. Collins and Ely have done a superb job and I greatly regret that this team is to be broken up. Apparently Ely will shortly be replaced. Great difficulties remain, but magnitude is less than six months ago.
At Manila we are having a meeting of the Ambassadors from all of the Far Eastern area, and I shall spend tomorrow with them, going on to Taiwan the next day. Faithfully yours, Foster.”
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/3–155. Top Secret. A marginal note on a copy of this telegram in the Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series, indicates that the President saw this message on March 1.↩
- After conclusion of the SEACDT Council meetings at Bangkok, Dulles made brief visits to Rangoon and Vientiane on February 27, Phnom Penh on February 28, and Saigon on the night of February 28 and March 1.↩
- Crown Prince Savang Vatthana and Prime Minister Katay Sasorith.↩
- King Norodom Sihanouk.↩