THE STORY OF MY OVERTHROW AND RESISTANCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100010032-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 24, 2000
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: July 1, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

RMPARTS
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CPYRGHT
[Moscow - Pli:rNG]
YOU MUST NOT GO, SAhrllf Ct1 SIHANOUK, It's
Friday, the thirteenth." These words were
spoken to me, half in jest, by one of my aides
on the way to Orly Airport for the plane v,hich
was to take me from Paris to Moscow. It was the morning
of March 13, 1970. Unlike many of my countrymen, I and
not superstitious, so I laughed, and flew off to meet the
Russian leaders. Five days later, ~vhile still in Moscow, I
was deposed as Cambodia's Head of State so it was an un-
lucky day after all.
President Podgorny met my flight, but there were no
elaborate welcoming ceremonies, because mine was a po-
litical and not a state visit. After greeting nie he said there
was a plane waiting to take me straight home to Phrionl
Penh,
"Take an overnight rest in Moscow, if you like," he
said, "but fly on to Phnom Penh in the morning. We have
confidence in you, Sihanouk. You are really the indispens-
able leader of your people. But you Must go back and take
charge of Cambodia's affairs. See that they don't fall into
the hands of Lon No] and Sirik Matak. You Must ensure
that Cambodia doesn't drift into an American takeover,
prevent Lon Not and Sirik Matak from creating difficul-
ties for the South Vietnamese people who are waging a
heroic struggle for the liberation of their country." I re-
plied that I'd have to think things over very carefully.
There was much to think at ut On M
FOIAb3b
had been anti-Vietnamese demonstrations in Svay Rieng
Province--the reports reaching me showed that Lon Not
was behind them. On March 11, a nhob-ostensibly of
students and school children-attacked the embassy of the
Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of
South Vietnam (the NLF) and, a few hours later, that of
the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Hanoi). My re-
ports showed it to be the work of the Army-specifically
Lon Not. The nucleus of the attackers was, in both
cases, some fifty military men in civilian clothes, com-
manded by Lon Nol's younger brother, Colonel Lon Non.
This was a far cry from the "spontaneous demonstrations"
naively reported in the European press and on American
television, Signs had been prepared in English, a language
rarely used in public display in my country. Photographers
and TV crews had been alerted. Everything pointed to a
scenario drawn up well in advance.
As soon as I heard of the attacks on the embassies, 1
ent a cablegram to Illy mother, the Queen, condemning
he violence as "acts of personalities attaching greater inl-
)ortance to their personal and clan interests than to the
ountry's future and to the fate of the people." I warned
f the possibility of a rightist coup and said that I would
cturn for a confrontation with those responsible, but,
tided that, if the people chose to follow them "along a
ath that will turn Cambodia into a second Laos, they will
ompel nhc to resign."
The answer to.my message to the Queen came in the
`:rat -06PI5-l`0_0'01'RbW1j"0Cj0W2u-j attacks
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