254. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (McElroy)1

JCSM–374–59

SUBJECT

  • Laos(U)
1.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are gravely concerned over the serious problem posed by the increasingly strong Communist invasion of Laos. The telegram from the U.S. Ambassador in Laos and the telegram from the U.S. Embassy, Saigon,2 add to this concern.
2.
Information in the hands of the Joint Chiefs of Staff convince them that this present serious situation results from strong outside support of reorganized dissident Pathet Lao units. There is increasing evidence also of the probable active participation of Viet Minh military units.
3.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are of the opinion that while measures taken and contemplated will assist the Laotians, these measures are not sufficient in themselves to ensure that Laotian military forces can successfully defend northern Laos or in fact be able to defend Southern Laos.
4.
The situation has now developed to the point where the Communist incursions can only be arrested, and the territorial integrity and the existence of the Laotian Government be ensured by effective action taken by the United States as a matter of urgency. Such actions could, and probably would, lead to active U.S. military intervention, particularly if there is any appreciable delay in implementation. The Joint Chiefs of Staff recognize that an increase in U.S. support as evidenced by the above will require a departure from our present U.S. policy with respect to Laos.
5.
The U.S. position, with respect to the Geneva Accords, and the newly negotiated agreements with France with regard to the training missions for the Laotian forces, while satisfactory for the situation that existed prior to the present incursion into Laos, need to be modified. For example, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hide the presence [Page 589] of U.S. military personnel in Laos even though they are in civilian clothes, and their effectiveness as augmentation to the French training personnel is greatly reduced by their apparent status as civilians.
6.
The South East Asia Treaty Organization provides a legal basis for U.S. actions in the defense of Laos, since that country is one of the Protocol Nations to the Treaty.
7.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff agree in general with the recommendations of the U.S. Ambassador to Laos as presented in his Cable No. 518, dated 3 September 1959. They feel, however, that the United States must take additional action if it is to provide timely assistance to the Royal Laotian Government and prevent the loss to communism of the entire country, with the inevitable loss in prestige of the U.S. position in Southeast Asia if not in all of the Far East.
8.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff recommend that U.S. actions be undertaken as follows:
a.
As a matter of urgency, recast the policy toward Laos to free the United States from all restrictions on its actions in Laos, whether taken unilaterally or in conjunction with Allies.
b.
Authorize an augmentation of the U.S. training and support personnel in Laos to the extent necessary to ensure more effective training of those forces; and the positive U.S. direction and control of the forces. This could be patterned upon the system used in Korea.
c.
Establish a MAAG in Laos with U.S. personnel in uniform.
d.
Direct CINCPAC to alert his forces at once and be prepared to implement plans for the defense of Laos.
e.
Initiate at once diplomatic actions that will provide outside military assistance to Laos, and at the same time determine what military support can be provided by the other Asiatic Allies of the United States outside SEATO.

For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

N. F. Twining3
Chairman,
Joint Chiefs of Staff
  1. Source: Washington National Records Center, RG 330, OSD/ISA Files: FRC 63 A 1672, 381 Laos. Secret. A note on the source text reads: “noted by Mr. Knight.”
  2. According to notes on a draft of this memorandum in Department of State, Central Files, 751J.5–MSP/9–1059, the references are to telegram 518 from Vientiane, supra, and telegram 632 from Saigon, August 27, in which the Embassy in Saigon reported a claim by Diem that there were 3,000 Pathet Lao under arms in Laos and 5,000 effectives in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam along the Lao border. (Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/8–2759; included in the microfiche supplement)
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.