458. Memorandum of a Telephone Coversation Between the Secretary of State and the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Parsons), Washington, November 16, 1960, 6:35 p.m.1
The Secretary telephoned Mr. Parsons and said he thought the letter from Phoui to Corcoran was an extraordinary document.2 Apparently, Phoui was in Luang Prabang. Parsons said he was and was very active. He explained what was happening over there. The Secretary said the cable he had just read was very encouraging.3 Parsons said we were trying to precipitate a change of government and they had just had a meeting on this whole question in Merchant’s office.4 The Secretary said he assumed that Brown had gotten a copy of the cable. Mr. Parsons said that Phoui was coming along all right and they had decided to give things a little more of a shove. The Secretary asked if they were flying CAT planes and Parsons said there have been planes taking supplies directly to different regions in accordance with the plan that had been worked out.
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers, Memoranda of Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Mildred Asbjornson.↩
- The translated text of this letter, November 10, was transmitted in telegram 860 from Bangkok, November 14. The letter was marked by Phoui’s self-promotion as a candidate to replace Souvanna Phouma. (Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/11–1460; included in the microfiche supplement)↩
- Not further identified.↩
- No record of this meeting has been found.↩