Office of the Historian

230. Telegram From the Embassy in Cambodia to the Department of State1

Phnom Penh, March 30, 1956—6 p.m.

1270. Reference Embassy telegram 1269.2 Following is text of Admiral Stump’s message 280208Z:

“Exclusive for Brigadier General Lodoen from Admiral Stump.

Request you show my 212254Z3 and your 251741Z4 to Ambassador McClintock with this message.

I think it is about time for the US to make some reaction other than turning the other cheek when neutralists and others spit in our face. Aid to neutralist countries and anti-American countries make our Allies wonder what is the best policy to get more aid; i.e., to follow the policies of Nehru or Nasser,5 or to follow the policies of the US. Cambodia would seem to me to be a very good place to have a little reaction showing that we give aid entirely for the benefit of the US and the free world and not because of partiality to friends.

Available foreign aid money is not sufficient to do the job we need to do. Therefore, we cannot afford to throw any of it down the rat hole but should place it where it will do the most good to strengthen the democratic world. I think we should endeavor to do all we can to strengthen Cambodia if strengthening that country will strengthen the democratic world and we ought to place the money where it will do more good if Cambodia is not going to be on the side of the democratic world and against the Chinese and Russian Communists.

My feeling is that Congress is sick and tired of overloading the American taxpayer to provide aid for the pussyfooters and I personally certainly share those sentiments. For your and Ambassador McClintock’s exclusive information, in my personal conversations with Secretaries Dulles and Robertson, I believe them to be at least sympathetic with my sentiments.

Inasmuch as I do not want to risk cutting off our noses to spite our faces, I personally would hesitate to advise contrary to opinion of Country Team particularly where such a team is of the quality of the one headed by Ambassador McClintock which works for US and not Cambodia.”

McClintock
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751H.5–MSP/3–3056. Secret.↩
  2. Supra.↩
  3. Document 227.↩
  4. Reference is presumably to Document 228.↩
  5. Gamal Abdul Nasser, President of Egypt.↩