242. Editorial Note

At the 417th meeting of the National Security Council, August 18, Allen Dulles gave his briefing on “Significant Developments Affecting U.S. Security.” He reported on developments in Laos as follows:

“We have received, [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] firm evidence of direction and supply of operations in Laos by North Vietnam. There is, however, no definite evidence of the presence of North Vietnamese troops in Laos. There had been references to ‘friendly’ soldiers, but we think that these are local Communist rather than Vietnamese, [3 lines of source text not declassified]. North Vietnamese aircraft have been busy delivering equipment to Dienbienphu, but the number of flights does not indicate an all-out effort. Three rifle regiments of North Vietnamese have moved into the area immediately north of the demilitarized zone, and on the 3rd and 8th of August two of these moved to the border. A [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] liaison officer found that North Vietnamese military camps in the Vina area had been nearly vacated; presumably these troops had been moved to the Laotian border. Laotian military units had engaged in hit-and-run tactics against the Communists, but at this point it was not clear whether there was more hit or more run.

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“The Hanoi and Peiping radios have been busy. They have claimed in propaganda that vast areas of Laos have been ‘liberated’. The North Vietnamese and the Chinese Communists have centered their attacks primarily upon the United States. The Soviets, on the other hand, perhaps because of the impending exchange of visits between the President and Khrushchev, have centered their attack on the Laotians. They have attacked the Phoui government for permitting U.S. ‘bases’ to be established in Laos. The United Kingdom made a move yesterday, suggesting that the UN Secretary General send an observer to Laos. We had also just received a Soviet note on Laos which argues that the United States has put military forces in Laos in violation of the Geneva Agreements.

“Secretary Dillon said that he did not believe that there was any particular pattern of softness in the way the Soviets had been acting. Their note and other statements were strong, and while they had been directed primarily against Laos, they also criticized the United States. Moreover there had been an increasing harassment by the East Germans of supply vehicles going to Berlin. These vehicles were being stopped between existing checkpoints; apparently the East Germans were attempting to establish their right to take such action. In response to an inquiry, Secretary Dillon said that the supply vehicles involved were military vehicles.

“The Director of Central Intelligence said that he didn’t mean to suggest that the Soviets had taken a soft line, only that they had concentrated their attack upon Laos.” (Memorandum of discussion by Johnson, August 26; Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records)