U.S. SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARINGS ON THAILAND

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP72-00337R000200020026-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 11, 2001
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: May 4, 1970
• Content Type: TELEGRAM

F8G4 proved For ReI 2002104 1TTCfK-9P9-0094 OO6,WO020026-7
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19
ACTION EA-15
INFO OCT-01 SSO-00 NSCE= 0 CCO-00 USIE?00 PM-05 NSC-10
SS-20 RSC?01 CIAE?00 INR?07 NSAE?00 DODE?00 P-03
PRS?01 H?02 RSR-01 /066 W
0 R 040240Z MAY 70
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6411
INFO AMEMBASSY SAIGON
AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
CI N CPA C
COMUSMACTHAI
C O N F I D E N T I A L BANGKOK 6795
SUBJECT : U.S. SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE HEARINGS ON THAILAND
REF: BANGKOK 6794
FOLLOWING IS FULL TEXT OF TRANSCRIPT SUMMARY.
BEGIN QUOTE
THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE HEARINGS ON THAILAND HELD BY THE
U.S. SENATE SUB-COMMITTEE ON UNITED STATES SECURITY AGREEMENTS
AND COMMITMENTS ABROAD OF THE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE WAS
RECENTLY PUBLISHED. THIS SUBCOMMITTEE IS UNDER THE CHAIR-
MANSHIP OF SENATOR STUART SYMINGTON OF MISSOURI AND IS
POPULARLY KNOWN AS THE SYMINGTON SUBCOMMITTEE.
THE SUB COMMITTEE WAS CONSTITUTEDg IN THE WORDS OF
SENATOR SYMINTON9 ??? . TO BUILD A DETAILED RECORD OF THE
SECURITY UNDERSTANDINGS AND THE UNITED STATES MILITARY FORCES9
FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS OVERSEAS WHICH CONSTITUTE THE CURRENT
COMPLEX SERIES OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS THAT
HAVE BEEN LABELED ? COMMITMENTS ?? IN ADDITION TO THAILAND
THE SUBCOMMITTEE HAS HELD HEARINGS ON OUR RELATIONS WITH THE
PHILIPPINES, LAOS AND THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA. THE SUB-COMMITTEE
CONFIDENTIAL
State Dept. declassification & release instructions on file
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PLANS TO HOLD ADDITIONAL HEARINGS ON OTHER COUNTRIES.
THESE HEARINGS ARE A NORMAL PART OF THE UNITED STATES?
GOVERNMENTAL PROCEDURE. AS REPRESENTATIVES ELECTED BY THE
PEOPLE THE CONGRESS PLAYS A ROLE IN THE FORMULATION OF OUR
FOREIGN POLICY AND PROVIDES THE FUNDS WITH WHICH TO IMPLEMENT
IT. CONSEQUENTLY MEMBERS OF OUR CONGRESS MUST BE INFORMED
NOT ONLY ON THE ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS OF U.S. MISSIONS
ABROAD 9 BUT ALSO THE POLICIES OF OTHER GOVERNMENTSA PARTICULARLY
THOSE WITH WHICH THE UNITED STATES HAS IMPORTANT AND COOPERATIVE
SECURITY RELATIONSHIPS. THE CONGRESSMEN NEED THIS TYPE OF
INFORMATION SO THEY MAY PROPERLY DISCHARGE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES
TO THE AMERICAN ELECTORATE UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.
THE SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS EXAMINED IN DETAIL THE NATURE
OF OUR SECURITY RELATIONSHIPS WITH THAILAND9 PARTICULARLY OVER
THE SEATO TREATY OF 1954 AND THE REAFFIRMATION IN 1962 BY
FOREIGN MINISTER THANAT AND SECRETARY RUSK THAT THE OBLIGATIONS
IN THE TREATY ARE INDIVIDUAL AS WELL AS COLLECTIVE,, THERE WAS
CONSIDERABLE DISCUSSION OF THE U.S. USE OF FACILITIES PROVIDED
BY THE THAI GOVERNMENT AND THE U.S. CONSTRUCTION PROGRAM IN
THAILAND. THE SENATORS WERE MOST INTERESTED IN THE COMMUNIST
TERRORIST PROBLEM AND IN ANY RELATION IT MIGHT HAVE TO?THE
PRESENCE OF U.S. TROOPS IN THAILAND.
WITH REGARD TO THE GENERAL POSTURE OF THE U.S. OVERSEAS
SEVERAL OF THE SENATORS EXPLAINED THEIR VIEW THAT THE U.S.
IS OVEREXTENDED ABROAD AND SPENDING MORE MONEY THAN IT CAN
AFFORD. THEY WERE ASKING WHETHER OTHER NATIONS WERE MAKING
A CONTRIBUTION COMENSURATE WITH THAT OF THE U.S,, AND
SUGGESTING THAT PROBLEMS IN THE U.S. DEMAND A REORDERING OF
PRIORITIES. SEVERAL SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS FELT THAT OVER THE
LAST TEN YEARS THERE HAS BEEN INSUFFICIENT EXECUTIVE BRANCH
CONSULTATIN WITH THE CONGRESS AND THEY EXPRESSED CONCERN
THAT THE SEATO COMMITMENT` MAY HAVE BEEN STRETCHED BEYOND ITS
ORIGINAL INTENT. THEY FELT ALSO THAT THE PUBLIC HAS NOT BEEN
FULLY ENOUGH INFORMED ABOUT THE NATURE OF SOME OPERATIONS.
THEY WERE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN OUR SUPPORT FOR THE ROYAL
LAOTIAN GOVERNMENT AND TOUCHED ON MANY MATTERS WHICH WERE ALSO
THE SUBJECT OF PRESIDENT NIXON?S SUBSEQUENT STATEMENT ON MARCH 6
OF THIS YEAR.
CONFIDENTIAL
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0403452
AS TO THAILAND, SOME
SENATORS WERE FEARFUL THAT THE LARGE
NUMBER OF U.S. TROOPS
IN THAILAND MIGHT HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT
ON THAI-US RELATIONS
OR LEAD TO OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THAILANV S
INSURGENCY PROBLEMS,
OR THAT THE MAJOR U.S. MILITARY CONSTRUCTION
PROGRAM BEGINNING IN
1965 MIGHT RESULT IN THE POSSIBILITY OF
SUCH AN INVOLVEMENT.
SOME SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS WISHED TO STUDY
CLOSELY THE INCREASES IN OUR MILITARY AND ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE
PROGRAMS AFTER 1965 AND THE JUSTIFICATION FOR THESE.
THE PUBLISHED TRANSCRIPT, ALTHOUGH EDITED FOR SECURITY
REASONS, PROVIDES A VERY FULL PICTURE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THAI-US RELATIONS SINCE 1950 AND GIVES CONSIDERABLE INFORM-
ATION ON THE NATURE OF U.S. ACTIVITIES IN THIS COUNTRY. THE
.RECORD DEMONSTRATES THAT THE REASON FOR THE DEPLOYMENT OF
AMERICAN FORCES NOW IN THAILAND WAS TO PROSECUTE THE WAR IN
VIETNAM AND LAOS. IT SPELLS OUT IN GREAT DETAIL THE FACT THAT,
CONSISTENT WITH ITS SEATO OBLIGATIONS, THAILAND HAS MADE A VERY
BASIC AND SUBSTANTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROSECUTION OF THAT
CONFLICT BY PROVIDING READY ACCESS TO A LARGE NUMBER OF THAI-
OWNED FACILITIES AS WELL AS AN IMPORTANT TROOP CONTRIBUTION
TO VIETNAM. THE NATURE OF U.S. SUPPORT TO THE THAI EFFORT IN
VIETNAM IS ALSO DISCUSSED AS ARE THE COSTS TO THE THAI GOVERN-
MENT OF THIS CONTRIBUTION. THE U.S. ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IN
SUPPORT OF THE THAI EFFORT TO ELIMINATE COMMUNIST TERRORISM
IS SPELLED OUT IN GREAT DETAIL. IT IS MADE QUITE CLEAR THAT
THE THAI GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS THE ACTUAL PROSECUTION OF THE
CI EFFORT A THAI RESPONSIBILITY ALTHOUGH IT WELCOMES ADVICE
AND MATERIAL SUPPORT FROM THE U.S.
IN SUMMARY THE TRANSCRIPT REFLECTS THE VIEWS AND SOME
CONCERNS EXPRESSED BY CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THE U.S. SENATE AND
PROVIDES AN HISTORICAL RECORD OF US-THAI RELATIONS, A COM-
PREHENSIVE DISCUSSION OF OUR ACTIVITIES IN THIS COUNTRY,
TOGERTHER WITH A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION ON THAILAND?S CON-
TRIBUTION TO THE SECURITY OF SOUTHEAST ASIA.
UNQUOTE
UNGER
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