Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, East Asia-Pacific Region; Cambodia; Laos, Volume XVI

108. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Acting Secretary of State¹

Washington, March 27, 1959.

SUBJECT

• Written Reply to Prince Sihanouk’s Letter² and Supplemental Oral Message

Following consultations with the Governments of Thailand and Viet-Nam,³ a suggested substantive reply and a supplemental oral message (Tab A) have been prepared to the letter (Tab B) addressed to the President by Prince Sihanouk on February 23, 1959. You will recall that an interim acknowledgement of the letter was made on February 26, 1959 (Tab C).⁴ The suggested substantive written reply conforms in most respects to the tentative working draft (Tab D) which the White House approved for transmission on March 9, 1959 to our Embassies in Cambodia, Thailand and Viet-Nam for their information and guidance.⁵

The final suggested text of the written reply (Tab A) incorporates changes suggested by the Embassies. Those sections, referring specifically to our consultations with the Thai and Vietnamese Governments (last sentence of the second paragraph, all of the third and fourth paragraphs, and the first sentence of the fifth paragraph) have the oral approval of responsible officials in those Governments.

I believe the suggested text constitutes a positive response to Prince Sihanouk’s appeal to the President since it demonstrates that we have discussed the problem of regional relations in Southeast Asia with the Thai and Vietnamese and it incorporates reassuring and conciliatory statements by the two neighboring governments. At the same time, it avoids implying that we accept Sihanouk’s charges against the Thai and Vietnamese at face value and should not carry the implication that we are prepared to exert pressure on our friends in Thailand and Viet-Nam.

The fact that our new Ambassador to Cambodia, the Honorable William G. Trimble, is scheduled to take up his duties at Phnom Penh the early part of April suggests the possibility of supplementing the substantive written reply to Prince Sihanouk with a personal oral message from the President. This would constitute an opportunity to emphasize and supplement the major points in the written reply. In drafting the latter, account has been taken of Prince Sihanouk’s penchant for “open diplomacy” and of the probability that he will wish to make the correspondence public. An oral message, however, could be of a more private nature, less exploitable by the Prince in public. Accordingly, a suggested oral message from the President to Prince Sihanouk also is attached at Tab A.

Since Prince Sihanouk’s tentatively planned visit to France may delay delivery of the message by Ambassador Trimble, some revision of the message may later be necessary.

Recommendation:

That you sign the attached Memorandum for the President.

Tab A

Memorandum From the Acting Secretary of State to the President⁶

Washington, March 27, 1959.

SUBJECT

• Substantive Reply to Prince Sihanouk’s Letter

You will recall that Prince Sihanouk addressed a letter to you on February 23, 1959 and that you acknowledged it on February 26, stating that it was being given earnest attention. Since the letter involved not only United States relations with Cambodia, but also our relations with Thailand and Viet-Nam, I considered it necessary to consult the Thai and Vietnamese Governments on some aspects of the proposed substantive reply. Accordingly, certain portions of a tentative text of the reply were discussed with these two Governments. These discussions with the Thai and Vietnamese, and the desire of those two Governments in turn to consult each other on the matter, account for the delay in preparing the final text of the proposed reply. It was not until Thursday afternoon, March 26, that final concurrence was received from the Vietnamese Government on the pertinent section of the answer to Prince Sihanouk’s letter. The suggested text of the substantive reply, incorporating views of the Thai and Vietnamese Governments, is enclosed.

I recommend that you approve the reply, in which case the text will be transmitted immediately by telegraph to our Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at Phnom Penh for delivery to Prince Sihanouk.⁷ The Prince plans to depart for France next Monday, March 30. I believe that delivery of your reply prior to his departure may well move him to halt the rising tide of suspicion and near-hostility toward Americans in Cambodia which, if unabated, may affect adversely the US position in that country. An amelioration would be less likely if the letter were delivered to the Prince after his departure.

You will note in the text a reference to the prospective forwarding of additional thoughts on Prince Sihanouk’s letter through our new Ambassador to Cambodia, the Honorable William C. Trimble, who is expected to take up his duties there early in April. Accordingly, I recommend that you also approve the enclosed suggested text of an oral statement for the Ambassador to make in your name to Prince Sihanouk which, I believe, would usefully supplement the written reply.

I recommend that no publicity be given either to the written reply or to the oral message. However, I suggest you authorize the Department to inform the Governments of Thailand and Viet-Nam orally of the substance of the written reply.

Christian A. Herter⁸

Enclosure

SUGGESTED SUBSTANTIVE REPLY TO Prince SIHANOUK’S LETTER OF FEBRUARY 23, 1959⁹

Dear Prince Sihanouk: I have given most serious thought to your letter of February 23, 1959, which I acknowledged on Febraury 26. Your expression of friendly regard and confidence recalled to my mind the mutual understanding we affirmed on the occasion of your visit to my country last year. Therefore, I have received your letter in this spirit of amity and frankness, and wish to respond to it in the same vein.

I gather from your letter that the difficulties you describe stem essentially from misunderstandings in the relationships between your country and some of its neighbors. The resolution of such underlying problems depends primarily, I believe, on the actions and attitudes of the countries directly concerned. Nevertheless, the existence of amicable relations among all free nations, and particularly among those with which the United States shares close bonds of friendship, is of vital interest to me. Therefore, I was glad to request the Department of State to consult the Governments of Thailand and of the Republic of Viet-Nam in the context of our friendly relations with these countries.

In the course of these consultations, the Government of Thailand affirmed its respect for the sovereignty and integrity of the Royal Cambodian Government. It expressed the opinion that internal disorder and instability in Cambodia would be harmful to the interests of the Free World and serve only the designs of international communism whose expanding activities in the area are of grave concern to Thailand. Furthermore, it indicated its willingness to cooperate with the Royal Cambodian Government in strengthening friendly relations on the basis of mutual respect and consistent good will. Finally, the Government of Thailand as a member of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization reaffirmed its respect for the sovereign right of the Royal Cambodian Government as well as that of any other government to decide whether or not it wishes to adhere to Free World collective security arrangements.

In discussions with the Government of the Republic of Viet-Nam, that Government expressed its disapproval of any actions against the independence and liberty of Cambodia. It reaffirmed its desire to maintain friendly relations on a reciprocal basis with the Royal Cambodian Government as well as other Free World countries. The Government of the Republic of Viet-Nam also proposed in these discussions specific means of jointly controlling illegal activities in the Cambodian-Vietnamese frontier zone. The Government of the Republic of Viet-Nam expressed the conviction that agreement with the Royal Cambodian Government on such proposals would promote the maintenance of the best relations.

I trust that these views of the Governments of Thailand and of the Republic of Viet-Nam, if combined with an attitude of conciliation and good will on the part of the Royal Cambodian Government, will provide the bases for an improvement in mutual understanding and confidence between your country and its neighbors, which in turn will permit the three nations to develop sound, direct relations through normal diplomatic channels. I have discussed the substance of your letter with The Honorable William C. Trimble, whom His Majesty The King has agreed to accept as our new Ambassador at Phnom Penh, and expect to forward through him additional thoughts on this subject.

My impression that the difficulties you describe stem essentially from the interrelationships between your country and its neighbors, does not ignore certain obligations which the United States incurs in the extension of American military assistance. You correctly perceive that the purpose of this assistance is to help free nations defend their independence. Just as we sought in Cambodia to insure certain safeguards on the use of this aid, we have sought and will continue to seek to insure that other governments use our assistance only for the purposes intended. The United States attaches the utmost importance to these international obligations.

Your proposal for supervised elections in Cambodia appears to involve a purely internal Cambodian matter on which I believe I cannot appropriately comment. At the same time, the United States Government has no reservation whatsoever in reaffirming its continued recognition of your full attributes and prerogatives as the President of the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

I was distressed to hear of the illness of His Majesty King Norodom Suramarit and I take this opportunity to express my personal best wishes for your father’s rapid and complete recovery.

With warm regard.

Sincerely,

Enclosure

SUGGESTED STATEMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT TO Prince SIHANOUK TO BE DELIVERED ORALLY BY AMBASSADOR TRIMBLE¹⁰

1. The President of the United States wishes to reiterate his appreciation for the letter addressed to him by His Royal Highness, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, on February 23, 1959. The President was moved by the concern His Royal Highness expressed therein over the conditions obtaining in Cambodia at that time.

2. Although His Royal Highness did not specifically state that United States aid equipment furnished to neighboring countries had been used for improper purposes in Cambodia, and United States authorities are not aware of any such improper use, the President was disturbed over the context in which American aid was mentioned in the letter. His Royal Highness may be assured that the United States does not condone any use of American aid equipment for purposes other than internal security and national defense, as provided in the aid agreements. Furthermore, the United States would view with the utmost concern any evidence that aid equipment was deliberately diverted to improper use.

3. However, the terms of the letter suggest that the concern expressed by His Royal Highness is related primarily to the relations between Cambodia and its neighbors. His Royal Highness correctly perceives the inability of the United States to interfere in the exercise of sovereign rights by other independent nations. To be sure, the extension of American aid to another country entails certain responsibilities on the part of the United States with respect to the use of such aid, but does not give the United States the right to determine the domestic or foreign policies of that nation. His Royal Highness will recall that assurances to this effect have repeatedly been given in connection with the American aid program in Cambodia.

4. The President, therefore, believes that the primary responsibility for a resolution of the problems described by His Royal Highness rests upon the statesmen of the countries directly concerned, rather than upon the United States.

5. Nevertheless, the President is personally concerned over the evidences of misunderstanding among countries which we count as friends of the United States. Therefore, in addition to the steps mentioned in his substantive written reply to His Royal Highness, the President has asked the Honorable J. Graham Parsons, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, to give his attention to this matter in the course of his forthcoming visit to the various countries concerned.

6. The President confidently counts on the good will and statesmanship of the national leaders of Cambodia, Thailand and Viet-Nam as the major determining factors in any improvement of the situation. Therefore, he expects Mr. Parsons’ brief discussions with the leaders of these countries to be directed primarily toward encouraging the development of greater confidence and trust in the relations among the three nations.

7. The President would be gravely disappointed should his intentions in this regard be misinterpreted. In particular, he trusts it will be clearly understood that actions taken in this instance by the United States to help Cambodia and its neighbors improve friendly relations do not constitute an assumption of responsibility on the part of the United States for these relations or for the actions of any of the three countries concerned.

8. The President wishes again to express his interest in the independence and welfare of Cambodia and to reaffirm his personal regard for His Royal Highness.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751H.00/3–2759. Secret. Drafted by Askew and cleared by Kocher and Parsons.
2. Document 100.
3. Extended consultations between the Embassies in Bangkok and Saigon and the host governments began about March 10 and continued for approximately 2 weeks. Telegrams describing these consultations and containing the proposed revisions are in Department of State, Central File 651G.51H.
4. See Document 102.
5. Text transmitted in telegram 2027 to Bangkok, also sent to Saigon as telegram 1454, March 9. (Department of State, Central Files, 651G.51H/3–659)
6. No classification marking.
7. A note on the source text indicates that, according to Goodpaster, the reply and oral statement were approved by the White House on March 28. The letter was sent to Phnom Penh for delivery to Sihanouk in telegram 844, March 28. (Department of State, Central Files, 751H.00/3–2359) According to telegram 1276 from Phnom Penh, March 29, Chargé Kellogg delivered the letter to Foreign Minister Son Sann who planned to give it to Sihanouk upon his return to Phnom Penh that night. (Ibid., 751H.00/3–2959) Kellogg reported in telegram 1290 from Phnom Penh, April 2, that both Sihanouk and Son Sann were disappointed with Eisenhower’s letter. (Ibid., 751H.00/4–259; included in the microfiche supplement)
8. Printed from a copy that bears this stamped signature.
9. No classification marking.
10. No classification marking. This statement was never made to Sihanouk because of his departure for medical treatment in France. In telegram 1536 from Phnom Penh, May 29, Trimble noted that he and others made the major points of the statement in discussions with Son Sann, who undoubtedly passed them on to Sihanouk, Trimble recommended not making the statement when Sihanouk returned from France in early June. (Department of State, Central Files, 751H.00/5–2959) The Department agreed. (Telegram 1025 to Phnom Penh, May 29; ibid.)