Office of the Historian

103. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Vietnam0

Washington, March 8, 1963, 6:52 p.m.

854. In address February 28 Sihanouk spoke of plot by Son Ngoc Thanh to overthrow him and of support for Thanh by GVN, Thailand and GRC as well as unnamed “imperialist power”, obviously US (Phnom Penh’s 633 to Dept.).1 Matter has already been played up in Cambodian press (Phnom Penh’s 639 to Dept.),2 which can be expected keep it alive in order deflect Sihanouk’s ire which at present aimed against leftists.

As you know, there is some factual basis for Sihanouk’s allegations on Thanh’s activities, including his references to Thanh’s trip to Taiwan via Hong Kong last summer. Between Chicom eagerness supply Sihanouk such information and probable penetration of “Free Khmer” groups in SVN by Cambodians loyal to RKG, Thanh plotting evidently cannot go undetected by Sihanouk.

You are requested to raise again with Diem the dangers implicit in Son Ngoc Thanh’s continued conspiratorial activities in Viet-Nam citing [Page 231] Sihanouk’s statement as evidence. Suggest you state you have information indicative GVN elements continuing use Thanh (as indicated Embtel 1646)3 and that you spell out again that this likely to be counterproductive for interests of GVN and US. (Discuss with CAS station chief what information from reports since your last talk with Diem can be revealed to him on this occasion.) Suggest you recommend consideration be given to removing irritant by expelling Thanh from SVN as undesirable alien, asking Diem let you have his reaction to this suggestion at his early convenience. Such action might, inter alia, help us greatly in dealing with Sihanouk’s neutrality proposals; you may of course use this among points you make to Diem if you think it would be helpful.4

Rusk
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL CAMB-CHICOM. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Arzac, cleared by Wood of the Vietnam Working Group and by Hannah and in draft by Koren, and approved by Rice. Repeated to Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and Taipei.↩
  2. Dated March 1. (Ibid.)↩
  3. See footnote 2, Document 102.↩
  4. Not found.↩
  5. As reported in telegram 806 from Saigon, March 13, Nolting reviewed recent reports of Thanh’s involvement with the Government of Vietnam and concluded that the GVN had in fact changed its tactic and was now using Thanh as a means of rallying and ensuring the support of ethnic Cambodians in South Vietnam rather than as an agent provocateur against Cambodia. Nolting believed that a démarche to Diem would merely elicit a denial and might give Diem an occasion to complain about Cambodian activities directed against him. Nolting was submitting alternative proposals for handling the matter through CIA Saigon channels. (Department of State, Central Files, POL CAMB-CHICOM)↩