Office of the Historian

34. Telegram From the Embassy in Indonesia to the Department of State1

Djakarta, May 11, 1959—11 a.m.

3403. Pote Sarasin, Secretary General SEATO, told Ambassador Byington2 and me in Bangkok May 8 during courtesy call that he had had most satisfactory talk with Ne Win in Rangoon recently, during which Ne Win expressed appreciation for SEATO but reiterated Burmese had to be careful not to antagonize powerful neighbor to north. Much to Sarasin’s surprise, Ne Win seemed to fear India almost as much as Communist China. Every time Sarasin talked about danger from China Ne Win reverted to India. He was particularly concerned over what might happen in India after Nehru’s balancing influence had been removed from scene, Sarasin said.

I asked whether he thought Ne Win was talking about possibility of military aggression or economic and political expansionism. Sarasin said he believed had latter in mind.

Jones
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.5/5–1159. Confidential. Repeated to Bangkok, New Delhi, and Rangoon.↩
  2. Homer Byington, Ambassador in Malaya.↩