United States Support for the Royal Lao Government and Attempts to Prevent Coalition with the Pathet Lao 1

1. For previous documentation on Laos, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, volumes XIII and XVI.


289. Telegram From the Department of State to the Legation in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/4–855. Secret; Niact. Drafted by Byrne; cleared in PSA; and approved by Robertson. Repeated to Paris, London, Saigon, Phnom Penh, and Bangkok.


290. Telegram From the Legation in Laos to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/4–2335. Secret. Repeated to Paris, Saigon, Bangkok, and Phnom Penh.


291. Telegram From the Legation in Laos to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5/5–355. Top Secret; Priority. Repeated to Saigon, Bangkok, and Phnom Penh.


292. Telegram From the Legation in Laos to the Embassy in France

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/5–655. Top Secret; Priority. Repeated to the Department of State (which is the source text), Bangkok, Saigon, and Phnom Penh. Dulles and Young were in Paris for talks with the British and French and for the scheduled North Atlantic Council meetings, May 9–11.


293. Telegram From the Department of State to the Legation in Laos

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5–MSP/4–2255. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Byrne and cleared by PSA, FE, S/MSA and in draft by FOA and Defense. Pouched to Saigon, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and Paris.


294. Telegram From the Legation in Laos to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5/5–2355. Secret. Repeated to Paris, Saigon, Bangkok, and Phnom Penh.


295. Memorandum From the Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs (Young) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5/5–2755. Secret. Drafted by Byrne.


296. Letter From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for Mutual Security Affairs (Nolting) to the Director of the Foreign Operations Administration (Stassen)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5/2–1655. Secret. For drafting and clearance procedures of this letter, see supra . A marginal note by Murphy reads: “Concurred in by U &G subject to later review of amounts.”


297. Telegram From the Legation in Laos to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.001/5–3155, Top Secret. Repeated to Paris, Bangkok, Saigon, and Phnom Penh.


298. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 601.51J11/6–455. Confidential.


299. Letter From the Minister in Laos (Yost) to the Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs (Young)

Source: Department of State, PSA Files: Lot 58 D 207, SEA, Lao Correspondence (1955). Secret; Personal.


303. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Robertson), Washington, July 12, 1955, 6:36 p.m.

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Phyllis D. Bernau.


304. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Deputy Special Assistant for Intelligence (Howe) to the Special Assistant for Intelligence (Armstrong)

Source: Department of State, INR Files: Lot 58 D 776, Indochina. Secret.


306. National Intelligence Estimate

Source: Department of State, INR–NIE Files. Secret. National Intelligence Estimates were high-level interdepartmental reports appraising foreign policy problems. NIEs were drafted by officers from those agencies represented on the Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC), discussed and revised by interdepartmental working groups coordinated by the Office of National Estimates of the CIA, approved by the IAC, and circulated under the aegis of the CIA to the President, appropriate officers of cabinet level, and the members of the NSC. The Department of State provided many of the political and some economic sections of NIEs.

According to a note on the cover sheet of this NIE, the following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: CIA, and intelligence organizations of Departments of State, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Joint Staff. All members of the IAC concurred with this estimate on July 26 with the exception of the representatives of the AEC and FBI who abstained on the grounds that the subject was outside their jurisdiction.


307. Memorandum From the Counselor of the Department of State (MacArthur) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Sebald)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/8–2455. Top Secret; Limit Distribution.


308. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/8–2555. Secret. Repeated to Paris, New Delhi, London, Bangkok, Saigon, and Phnom Penh.


309. Memorandum From the Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs (Young) to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/9–255. Secret. Drafted by Byrne.


310. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5/9–2355. Top Secret. Repeated to Vientiane.


311. Memorandum of a Conversation Between Secretary of State Dulles and Foreign Minister Pearson, Ottawa, September 26, 1955

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversations. Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles.


312. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Embassy in Burma

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/10–755. Secret; Priority. Repeated to the Department of State as telegram 409, which is the source text.


313. Telegram From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump) to the Chief of Naval Operations (Burke)

Source: JCS Records, CCS 092 Asia (6–25–48) (2). Top Secret.


314. Memorandum From Patricia M. Byrne of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs to the Director of the Office (Young)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/10–1455. Secret.


316. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/10–1555. Secret. Repeated to London, Paris, New Delhi, Ottawa, Bangkok, Saigon, And Phnom Penh.


317. Letter From the Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs (Young) to the Ambassador in Laos (Yost)

Source: Department of State, PSA Files: Lot 58 D 207, SEA, Lao Correspondence (1955). Secret; Official–Informal.


318. Telegram From the Embassy in Thailand to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5/11–455. Top Secret. Repeated priority to Vientiane.