236. Paper Prepared by the Assistant White House Staff Secretary (Eisenhower)1
SYNOPSIS OF STATE AND INTELLIGENCE MATERIAL REPORTED TO THE PRESIDENT
Laos
No changes have occurred in the military situation in northern Laos over the past 24 hours, according to the Laotian military high command. Communist partisan forces remain in control of several government outposts in Sam Neua and Phong Saly provinces; bad weather has hampered counteraction by government reinforcements. On 4 August, the Laotian Government charged the military “with maintaining internal peace and order” in Sam Neua and Phong Saly [Page 552] as well as three other Laotian provinces where scattered harassing incidents have occurred.2
Bloc propaganda continues to place heavy stress on the urgency of reconvening the ICC in Laos. British Foreign Secretary Lloyd in a talk with Secretary Herter urged that the door not be closed on the return of the three-nation ICC, arguing that the Indian and Canadian members “might be able to play a constructive role.”3
Meanwhile, the Lao UN representative told Lodge that Laos intends to inform Hammarskjold of North Vietnamese incursions for circulation to all UN members.4 This representative claims he has three captured North Vietnamese soldiers who are being sent to Vientiane. The UK is hoping that Lloyd’s message to Nehru5 might restrain Nehru for the time being on reconvening the ICC.
[Here follows information unrelated to Laos.]
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries. Top Secret.↩
- Reference is to the declaration of a state of emergency in the five Lao provinces bordering the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Xieng Khouang, Khammouane, and Savannakhet were the other three) issued on August 4. (Telegram 262 from Vientiane, Joint Weeka 32, August 7; Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00(W)/8–759↩
- Apparent reference to the discussion reported in Secto 461, supra.↩
- See footnote 4, supra.↩
- Lloyd sent Nehru a message on August 3 expressing concern about the situation in Laos. Nehru replied on August 4 that India was unsure of how to proceed because of the Royal Lao Government’s opposition to reconvening the ICC in Laos. Nehru asked that the United Kingdom and the other 1954 Geneva Conference Cochairman, the Soviet Union, take up the issue. (Secto 475, August 5; Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/8–559; included in the microfiche supplement)↩