Office of the Historian

49. Special Report of the U.S. Intelligence Board’s Watch Committee1

No. 716A
Washington, May 17, 1964, 4:30 p.m.

We have reviewed all evidence available to date concerning recent Communist military action in Laos and conclude as follows:

We believe that the Communists are seeking to regain all of the Plaine des Jarres area and that continuation of their attacks will make the neutralist position there untenable. The Communist capture of the Plaine des Jarres and other positions in southeastern Xieng Khouang Province will place them in control of almost all of Laos except for the Mekong Valley. We believe that current Communist operations will stop short of attacks against major positions in the Mekong Valley.

  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, Laos, Vol. IV, Memos, 5/17/64–5/20/64. Secret. This report was a result of a special meeting of the Watch Committee held at 3 p.m. on May 17 and was transmitted to members of the U.S. Intelligence Board under cover of a memorandum from Frank J. Benny, Director of the National Indications Center at the Pentagon, on May 17.↩