517. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Ambassador in Thailand (Bishop) and Prime Minister Pibulsonggram, Bangkok, June 1, 19571
SUBJECT
- American Activities in Thailand
After an exchange of the usual amenities and a brief discussion of the SEATO “Airlink” exercise held yesterday,2 I told the Prime [Page 922] Minister that I had come to talk to him briefly and in general terms of some ideas which I had been turning over in the back of my mind with regard to American activities here in Thailand.
Pointing out that we could probably expect a rather large reduction in the budget for the coming Fiscal Year, I said that I wanted to do my best to maintain the American effort here in Thailand more or less at its present level while, at the same time, reducing to the absolute minimum the number of American personnel in Thailand. I pointed out that, with the exception of some jet aircraft which, of course, were highly expensive items, most of the military equipment for Thailand had already been delivered and in the relatively near future our efforts in the military aid field would be primarily training, supplying of replacement parts, ammunition and that sort of thing. The Prime Minister said that he fully agreed with the concept which I had outlined to him and that he hoped that the level of assistance could be kept at least as high as it is now. He added that the “opposition” had attacked him and his Government heavily on the ground that American officers and men stationed with individual units of the Thai Army were there for the purpose of dominating and controlling the Thai Army. (This argument is the one frequently used by Sarit and mention of it by the Prime Minister tends to confirm a report which we received from a most reliable source that Sarit has recently made the same arguments at a Cabinet meeting.) The Prime Minister went on to say that some of his people had recommended that the activities of the United States be concentrated at training schools or a training center rather than having American officers and men stationed with individual Thai units throughout the country. I made no comment on this suggestion but merely laughed at the ridiculousness of the charge that the United States was dominating the Thai armed forces.