93. Memorandum of Conversation1
SEATO/SEVEN NATION/ANZUS MEETINGS
Wellington, April 2–5, 1968
PARTICIPANTS
-
United States
- The Secretary
- Ambassador Leonard Unger
-
SEATO Secretary General
- Jesus Vargas
SUBJECT
- SEATO and Council Meeting
In reply to the Secretaryʼs question, General Vargas said that he did not anticipate any particularly controversial items arising in the course of the SEATO Council Meeting starting the next day. He said, however, that intense interest has been generated by the Presidentʼs speech about bombing suspension and particularly about his non-candidacy.2 After some exchange on this subject the Secretary speculated that the likely future President has in fact not yet made his candidacy known.
The Secretary suggested that with the presence in the SEATO Meeting of representatives of both Pakistan and the United Kingdom, he was not disposed to go into a great deal of detail on Vietnam but rather to leave that for the Seven Nation Meeting. He and the Secretary-General discussed the British and Pakistani membership in SEATO and the Secretary indicated his disposition to have them pressed to make more of a contribution if they are going to continue as members of the organization. General Vargas observed that the Pakistani (and for that matter, the French) are neutral in their SEATO activities, and while they make no contribution, neither do they obstruct the work of the organization.
Turning to a review of the situation in the treaty area, the Secretary-General described his recent travels around Thailand and indicated his concern over the growing insurgency, paying particular attention to the problem of the subversion of the hill tribes in northern Thailand. He regretted that the Thai insurgency problem had not been tackled with more vigor when it was still small in 1965. The Secretary agreed with this [Page 228] point, urging that we learn the lesson well from past experience and mistakes in the counter insurgency field, including Vietnam, and try to get the Thai problem promptly under control.
With regard to the Philippines, the Secretary-General felt that the rural insurgency was not now a matter of serious concern but he was preoccupied with the more classic type of communist subversion among the urban population. General Vargas also described the status of the seminar on Internal Security in Rural Areas. He underlined his strong interest in this and also mentioned the counter insurgency center which he would like to see established. Secretary Rusk commented in general terms about the importance of the SEATO role in counter insurgency.
General Vargas then told Secretary Rusk of his recent visit to South Vietnam, including his conversation with General Westmoreland and his visits to PHILCAG, the Queenʼs Cobras and other allied units. He underlined the added importance he attached, as a result of this visit, to the blocking of the routes of supply to the communist forces and in this connection he mentioned the recent discovery of 90-some sampans in the Mekong near the Cambodian border which were intercepted and sunk with heavy loads of munitions.
As a result of his visit to Manila he told the Secretary that President Marcos believes that the extension of the PHILCAG will go through. At the same time he noted that the opposition in the Philippine Congress wants more on the side of medics and fewer engineers in the Philippine contribution in Viet-Nam. Vargas will be returning to Manila and hopes to be able to exert some helpful influence on this project.
In conclusion, the Secretary expressed his appreciation to the Secretary-General for his willingness to serve for a further term as SEATO Secretary-General.