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

163. Memorandum for the Files by the Second Secretary of the Embassy in Laos (Dean)¹

Vientiane, February 11, 1958.

SUBJECT

• Policy regarding United States Financial and Material Support in the Forthcoming Elections

Following is [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] thinking regarding U.S. financial and material support in the forthcoming elections:

A. Purpose

1. To limit to the very minimum new Neo Lao Hak Xat and additional Santiphab representation in the new Assembly.

2. Objective No. 1 does not require the U.S. to favor openly one anti-PL candidate over another. It is assumed that Independents and Nationalists will select the strongest candidate to run on the National Front ticket.

3. U.S. support being used as leverage to reduce the number of conservative candidates to the number of seats at stake, thereby avoiding that the U.S. finances more than one conservative candidate for one seat; any other system implies that U.S. aid is cancelled out.

B. Tactics

1. According to official Min Interior information, 106 candidates have registered for the 21 seats at stake. Of 106 candidates, 21 are Neo Lao Hak Xat or followers of Bong, leaving 85 conservatives disputing 21 seats. The ratio of 4 to 1 is misleading, since in certain provinces conservatives have reduced the number of candidates to the number of seats available (Xieng Khouang and probably Attopeu).

2. On February 8, Nationalists and Independents formed a central committee to select the National Front candidates. The ideal situation would be brought about if (a) Independents and Nationalists can agree on National Front candidates for each province and (b) can persuade other candidates to withdraw.

3. U.S. financial assistance will be turned over in two installments to the central committee of the National Front for each candidate the Independents and Nationalists agree on to endorse as the National Front candidate. For example: If U.S. aid amounts to 250,000 kip per candidate, then for each candidate the Independents and Nationalists can agree on, the U.S. will at once credit the central committee of the National Front with 125,000 kip.² An equal amount will be turned over during the last stage of the electoral campaign. [5½ lines of source text not declassified]

[3 paragraphs (20 lines of source text) not declassified]

1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 84, Vientiane Embassy Files: FRC 63 A 172, 350 Laos, Political Affairs–Elections. Secret; Limited Distribution.
2. According to a memorandum of conversation by Dean, February 17, he informed Oun Heuan on February 17 that the United States would turn over 2.1 million kip to the National Front to support its 21 candidates (100,000 per candidate). Dean continued that more money would be forthcoming on April 1, provided the candidates not endorsed by the National Front withdrew. (Enclosure to February 20 memorandum by Dean; Washington National Records Center, RG 84, Vientiane Embassy Files: FRC 63 A 172, 350 Laos, Political Affairs—Elections, Jan. to May 1958; included in the microfiche supplement)