REPORT OF HANOI REACTION TO U.S. MOVES IN CAMBODIA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-290-4-11-3
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: February 19, 2010
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: June 4, 1970
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/19: LOC-HAK-290-4-11-3
MEMORANDUM -- 8
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINOTOfl
SECRET /SENSITIVE
FROM:
Henry A. Kissinger
INFORMATION
June 4, 1970
SUBJECT: Report of Hanoi Reaction to U. S. Moves in
From a source who has been in touch with the North Vietnamese in
Paris, our Defense Attache in Paris has sent in a report on Hanoi's
reaction to the U. S. operations in Cambodia. We consider that this
report rings true, and may be a good indication of what Hanoi actually
thinks about our Cambodian operation. It makes these points:
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The most upsetting factor to the North Vietnamese was
that the U. S. behaved unpredictably in the Cambodian
operation.
The North Vietnamese estimate that to date they have
lost about 30 per cent of the supplies they had in Cambodia.
-- The North Vietnamese were also hurt by Cambodian actions
against their agents. Many political cadres were lost.
Others were ordered to fade into the environment and avoid
capture. Hanoi will now attempt to work through the Khmer
Buddhists who are presently unfavorable to the North Viet-
namese.
The North Vietnamese feel about 12 per cent of the Cambodian
population actively support them.
Hanoi was disappointed by the lack of Soviet support and that
Moscow had not broken with Phnom Penh. This has moved
Hanoi closer to Peking.
Le Duan was dressed down by the Soviets who told him that
they had invested large sums in his support but could not go
beyond the present degree of commitment. They would make
SECRET/SENSITIVE
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/19: LOC-HAK-290-4-11-3
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/19: LOC-HAK-290-4-11-3
SECRET /SENSITIVE 2 -
good the losses in the sanctuaries but it would take
from four to six months (presumably to ship supplies
from Moscow to Hanoi).
There have been Chinese political cadres in Cambodia
for some time, perhaps six months, mainly in the North-
east.
The North Vietnamese contact maintained that they would
continue to fight despite the factors listed above while
awaiting the departure of U. S. forces from Cambodia.
They would then try to gain a spectacular success over the
ARVN.
Comment. The source for this information is a Frenchman who lives
in Paris but who had previously lived for many years in Hanoi. He
has good contacts among the North Vietnamese in Paris. Some of his
reporting appears to have been of questionable accuracy, but much
more of it has checked out. As I noted, we regard this piece as being
probably true.
SECRET/ SENSITIVE
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/02/19: LOC-HAK-290-4-11-3