178. Editorial Note
At the 367th meeting of the National Security Council, May 29, Allen Dulles gave his briefing on “Significant World Developments Affecting U.S. Security.” Dulles described the generally satisfactory results of the recent Greek, Italian, and Japanese elections. He then discussed the supplementary elections in Laos as follows:
“As to the results of the election in Laos, unlike the results in the other three countries these were bad. They were bad simply because the conservative parties could not reconcile their differences, had put up several candidates in each electoral district, and had accordingly splintered the conservative vote. The Communists, meanwhile, had put up only one candidate in each district. Thus the results had been as anticipated, though we had done our very best to try to reconcile the conservative factions and to induce them to put up only one candidate in each voting district. While the significant Communist success in Laos would not mean that they would control the National Assembly, they will certainly increase their power. The trend was bad, and we had a good deal to fear in the 1959 general elections.
“The President commented that it would be a serious matter if any country such as Laos went Communist by the legal vote of its people.” (Memorandum of discussion by Gleason, May 29; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records)