Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, South and Southeast Asia, Volume XV

U.S. INTEREST IN THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC STABILITY, MILITARY STRENGTH, AND INTERNATIONAL ORIENTATION OF THAILAND ¹

^1.For previous documentation, see Foreign Relations, 1955–1957, vol. XXII, pp. 807 ff. Documentation on Thai relations with Cambodia and Thai concern over the situation in Laos is printed in volume xvi.

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

Bangkok , March 15, 1960—5 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.5/3–1560. Confidential. Repeated to CINCPAC.

548. Report Prepared by the Operations Coordinating Board

undated

Source: Department of State, OCB Files: Lot 62 D 430, Thailand. Secret. A prefatory statement indicates that this plan was approved by the OCB with the concurrence of all participating agencies “to assist in the integrated and effective implementation of national security policy assigned to the Board by the President for coordination.” Annex A, “Arrangements or Agreements with the U.S.,” Annex B, “Agency Program Summaries,” and a Financial Annex are not printed.

Each department or agency involved undertook to send the entire plan or relevant portions to the appropriate representatives in the field. Copies were sent to the Embassy in Bangkok on June 3 under cover of a letter from Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Livingston T. Merchant to Leonard Unger. (Ibid., Central Files, 611.92/6–3060)

549. Memorandum From the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Berry) to the Acting Secretary of State

Washington , May 13, 1960.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.92/5–1360. Confidential.

550. Editorial Note

551. Memorandum of a Conversation, White House, Washington, June 29, 1960, 11:15 a.m.

Washington , June 29, 1960, 11:15 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Presidential Memoranda of Conversation: Lot 66 D 204. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Steeves on June 30, and approved by the Secretariat in the Department of State on July 1 and by Goodpaster on July 9.

King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit of Thailand visited the United States, June 14–July 14, and were in Washington on their State visit, June 28–July 2. For text of the joint communiqué issued by the President and King Bhumibol on July 1, see Department of State Bulletin, July 25, 1960, p. 146. On June 29, the King addressed a joint session of Congress; for text of his remarks, see ibid., p. 144.

Most of the documentation on the preparations for the King’s visit is in Department of State, Central File 792.11. Material on the stay in Washington, June 28–July 2, is ibid., Conference Files: Lot 64 D 599, CF 1711 and 1712.

552. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, June 30, 1960, 4:15 p.m.

Washington , June 30, 1960, 4:15 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 64 D 559, CF 1712. Confidential. Drafted by Wile. Foreign Minister Thanat Khoman also met separately with Secretary Herter on June 30 to discuss the situation in Cambodia; the memorandum of conversation is ibid.

553. Letter From the Chargé in Thailand (Unger) to Prime Minister Sarit Thanarat

Bangkok , July 1, 1960.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.5–MSP/7–2060. Unclassified. The source text is a copy sent to the Department of State as an enclosure to despatch 26 from Bangkok, July 20.

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

Bangkok , September 2, 1960—7 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.5–MSP/9–260. Confidential. Repeated to Saigon, Vientiane, CINCPAC for POLAD, Phnom Penh, and Rangoon.

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

Washington , October 9, 1960—7:48 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.11/10–960. Secret; Priority; Limited Distribution. Drafted in SEA by Swezey and Wile, cleared in several offices, and approved by Steeves. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD.

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

Bangkok , October 13, 1960—1 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.11/10–1360. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD.

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

Bangkok , October 19, 1960—7 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.5–MSP/10–1960. Secret.

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

Bangkok , October 22, 1960—2 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.5–MSP/10–2260. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution.

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

Washington , October 31, 1959—6:16 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.5–MSP/10–2660. Confidential. Drafted by Swezey; cleared by offices in the Department of State and by the Department of Defense; approved by Avery F. Peterson. Repeated to CINCPAC for POLAD.

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

Washington , November 2, 1960—10:23 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/10–2860. Top Secret; Niact. Drafted by Richard E. Usher, cleared with appropriate offices in the Department of State, and approved by Merchant.

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

Bangkok , November 3, 1960—6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.00/11–360. Top Secret. The source text bears a receipt date of November 8 and a typed notation that the delay was due to mishandling in the Telegraph Branch of the Division of Communications.

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

Bangkok , November 5, 1960—2 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.92/11–560. Secret. Repeated to Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Saigon, and Moscow.

563. Letter From President Eisenhower to Prime Minister Sarit Thanarat

Washington , November 8, 1960.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.11/10–1360. Secret; Priority; Presidential Handling. Transmitted in telegram 660 to Bangkok, November 9, which is the source text. Telegram 660 was drafted by Swezey and Wile; cleared by Peterson and Steeves of FE, other Department of State offices, and Goodpaster in the White House; and approved by Arthur r. Day in the Executive Secretariat. For an earlier draft of the letter and Ambassador Johnson’s revisions, see Documents 555 and 556.

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

Washington , November 9, 1960—9:41 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.5–MSP/11–960. Secret; Priority; Limited Distribution. Drafted by Wile along with a number of officers from ICA and other interested offices which also cleared the telegram; approved by Parsons.

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

Bangkok , November 12, 1960—7 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/11–1260. Top Secret; Priority.

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

Bangkok , November 12, 1960—8 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.11/11–1260. Secret; Presidential Handling.

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

Bangkok , November 12, 1960—8 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.5-MSP/11-1260. Secret; Limit Distribution.

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

Bangkok , November 13, 1960—4 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.92/11–1360. Top Secret; Priority.

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

Washington , November 18, 1960—9:28 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 792.11/11–1860. Secret; Priority; Presidential Handling. Drafted by Swezey, cleared in FE, and approved by Parsons.

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

Bangkok , November 18, 1960—6 p.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.92/11–1860. Top Secret.

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

Washington , November 20, 1960—11:43 a.m.

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.92/11-1360. Top Secret; Priority. Drafted by Swezey and others in SEA, cleared with appropriate offices in the Department and with Parsons and Merchant, and approved by Donald Easum of the Executive Secretariat.