463. Memorandum of Telephone Conversations, November 21, 19601
6:20 p.m.
The Secretary telephoned General Goodpaster and asked if he had received [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] the messages from Laos.2 Goodpaster said he had not and the Secretary said the messages were on the way over. The reports indicate that Souvanna Phouma, the Secretary said, with his troops has already left Vientiane to take Luang Prabang, planning to meet up with some Pathet Lao on the way. The Secretary said we were in process of drafting a wire to Vientiane to the effect we would back Phoumi’s forces.3 The Secretary said we would want to get to Goodpaster the text of the message to pass on to the President in Augusta. Goodpaster said he could make arrangements to transmit it to Augusta but he thought it might be better for the Secretary to telephone the President.
6:30 p.m.
The Secretary telephoned the President in Augusta about the move on Luang Prabang. The Secretary said we felt we ought to take the wraps off Phoumi right away. The President inquired about the size of Phoumi’s forces. The Secretary said it all depended on who stayed with him, and that he had plenty if the men stayed with him. The Secretary mentioned paying the Phoumi troops directly and the President said he would tell the troops they would get one-half pay now and the rest when they “licked the other fellow”. The other point was to provide Phoumi with CAT planes. The President asked if it didn’t appear that Phoumi was the nearest thing to representing a government. The Secretary said this was so, particularly since Souvanna Phouma was playing with the Pathet Lao. The President agreed to the points being included in the cable to Vientiane.
(Mr. Merchant drafted and dispatched the cable 11/21/60)
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Herter Papers, Memoranda of Telephone Conversations. No classification marking. Transcribed by Mildred Asbjornson.↩
- These telegrams, November 20, 21, and 21, are included in the microfiche supplement.↩
- Telegram 539, infra.↩