311. Editorial Note
A memorandum on the situation in Laos, prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency on March 29, 1963, commented that “the Soviet Union continues to exercise caution in respect to Laos. Moscow appears content with the Geneva settlement and confident that the weaknesses of the coalition government offer sufficient possibilities for ultimate Communist victory through infiltration and subversion to make unnecessary the risks of intervention by Western powers in the event of a renewal of hostilities. The USSR does not appear to have utilized fully its limited leverage in Laos [to ensure fulfillment of the Geneva agreements], although it probably would seek to restrain the Pathet Lao from any course that Soviets thought might lead to escalation into broader hostilities.” For text, see Foreign Relations, 1961–1963, volume XXIV, pages 948–952.