Office of the Historian

472. Telegram From the Embassy in Laos to the Department of State1

Vientiane, December 2, 1960—11 p.m.

1042. Personal for Assistant Secretary Parsons. You must realize that Deptels 5712 and 5723 put me in an impossible position. In my messages 1005 and 10144 I put two clear questions to Department. Is CINCPAC to be permitted to give instructions about operations in Laos without going through the Ambassador? Will Washington modify an outstanding CINCPAC instruction which I feel detrimental to US interests? Neither question has been really answered, especially the second. The CINCPAC instruction is still outstanding and I think it is wrong. I feel that as Ambassador I am entitled (A) to a clear answer on a question of major importance to our whole policy in Laos, and (B) not to have someone else giving orders on matters of major importance in the country for which I am supposed to be responsible.

Perhaps someone else can operate under these conditions. I cannot.

Brown
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/12–260. Secret; Niact; Eyes Only; No Distribution. Received at 1 p.m.↩
  2. Supra.↩
  3. Telegram 572, December 1, concurred in the importance of routing “important policy decisions through Ambassador as matter principle. This particularly important in view extreme delicacy present situation and rapid interplay political and military events throughout country.” (Department of State, Central Files, 751J.00/12–260)↩
  4. Dated November 28 and 29. (ibid., 751J.5–MSP/11–2760 and 751J.00/11–2960; both included in the microfiche supplement)↩