381. Letter From the Chargé in Thailand (Unger) to Prime Minister Sarit Thanarat1

Excellency: I know that Your Excellency will be interested in a message which has been recently dispatched from the United States Government in Washington to the PEO Liaison Officer who is now with General Phoumi in Savannakhet. In this message it is noted that [Page 824] General Phoumi is already aware of the confidence which the United States Government has in him and of the constant support of him as a patriotic anti-Communist. The Liaison Officer is instructed to tell General Phoumi at the earliest opportunity that the United States looks to him as the main prop in Laos against the drift of his country into a situation in which it would be possible for the Pathet Lao to take over Laos. The Liaison Officer is also to tell General Phoumi that the United States is working urgently to fulfill his recent requests and that he can count in the future on our meeting all reasonable requests for help in the financial and logistical fields. The Liaison Officer is to conclude by stating that General Phoumi continues to have our encouragement and moral support.

I feel sure that you will agree with me that this message marks a constructive step in the present troubled situation in Laos.

Respectfully,

Leonard Unger2
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/8–2560. Secret. The text of this letter was transmitted to the Department of State as an enclosure to despatch 107, August 25, in which Unger explained that he gave Sarit this letter because “I felt there would undoubtedly be a need for the Embassy to be approaching the Thai Government for its assistance in various matters to provide the indicated support to General Phoumi and that, especially in view of the Thai Government’s support of General Phoumi, knowledge of our message would facilitate these activities greatly. I also was persuaded that General Phoumi, who is in close touch with Marshal Sarit, would undoubtedly be informing the latter of the receipt of this message in any case.” (included in the microfiche supplement)
  2. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.