Office of the Historian

71. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Burma1

Washington, August 28, 1957—7:40 p.m.

241. Your 180, 179,2 174,3 144.4 Department and ICA do not consider it desirable or feasible to entertain Burmese requests for large additional loans at this time when no progress has been made in implementing March loan agreements. However as you aware President last August approved NSC recommendation US military assistance up to $10 million and appropriate clearances for implementation now being sought enable you to so inform Burmese Government.

There is much interest here in helping Burma develop police competence in connection new emphasis internal security program including necessary equipment assistance. If Ba Swe and GUB agree, we willing dispatch small interagency team experts familiar with police programs to survey Burma’s present needs, examine GUB requests for assistance and make recommendations to US Government re possible assistance. Such preliminary information appears necessary prerequisite to firming up US position funding such program.

Embassy and Survey Team would also evaluate possible Burmese inhibitions in openly associating with us in this program.

US interested helping Burma but believe GUB can do much constructive work in utilizing existing resources and detailed planning. One question for example, what is relative role of military versus police in new internal security program? Another disturbing point: it doubtful police could absorb large amount of funds currently suggested by GUB.

ICA concurs.

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790B.5–MSP/8–1457. Secret; Limit Distribution.↩
  2. Telegrams 179 and 180 from Rangoon, August 14, reported that Prime Minister Nu would probably want to discuss the Burmese Government’s desire to obtain U.S. military and police equipment when Herter and Richards visited Rangoon in early September. (Ibid., 790B.5–MSP/8–1457 and 110.12–HE/8–1457, respectively) Herter and Richards were visiting several Far Eastern countries in connection with a visit to Kuala Lumpur as personal representatives of President Eisenhower at the independence celebrations of the Republic of Malaya.↩
  3. Supra.↩
  4. See footnote 2, supra.↩