CABLE TO RODMAN/LORD FOR DR. KISSINGER FROM THE SITUATION ROOM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-462-1-33-1
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: July 26, 2010
• Sequence Number: 33
• Publication Date: February 19, 1973
• Content Type: CABLE

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/07/26: LOC-HAK-462-1-33-1
00 WTE33
DE WTE 0910 0491420
0 191416Z FEB 73
FM THE SITUATION ROOM TOHAK269
TO RODMAN/LORD FOR DR. KISSINGER
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TOHAK 268
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RECEIVED TOKYO COMMCEN
20 FEB 73 0030 LOCAL
TnP SECRET
FROM : AMBASSADOR GODLEY, VIENTIANE 715
THIS AFTERNOON, FEBRUARY 19 AT 2:30 P.M., THE
"TOUT VIENTIANE" WAS AT THE AIRPORT, SAYING FAREWELL TO
THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR 9 WHO WAS LEANING LAOS AFTER A FIVE
YEAR TOUR HERE. THE LPF 'WAS REPRESENTED BY SGTH PHETRASY
AND SEVERAL UNDERLINGS. WHILE DCM DEAN WAS STANDING NEXT
TO THE BISHOP OF LAOS, SGTH CAME UP AND STARTED SOCIAL
CONVERSATION WITH THE BISHOP IN WHICH DEAN JOINED. WHEN
FRENCH AMBASSADOR HAD DEPARTED AND THE MANY WELL-WISHERS
HAD LEFT THE AIRPORT, DEAN FOUND HIMSELF ALONE WITH SGTH,
WHO MADE NO MOVE TO AVOID CONVERSATION, WHICH LASTED FOR
TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES AND WOULD HAVE GONE ON MUCH LONGER IF
DEAN HAD NOT BROKEN IT UP. FOLLOWING ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS:
(A) DEAN ASKED WHETHER PATHET LAO WOULD SEPARATE
POLITICAL FROM MILITARY ASPECTS OF A CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT.
SOTH DISCUSSED AT LENGTH THE NEED TO NEGOTIATE A "GLOBAL"
AGREEMENT AMONG THE LAO AND THAT THE PAT HET LAO DO NOT
PT NOT WISH TO DIVORCE THESE TWO ISSUES. WHEN DEAN POINTED
OUT THAT DR. KISSINGER HAD TALKED TO THE NORTH VIETNAMESE
ABOUT LAOS AND THAT HE GAINED THE IMPRESSION IN HANOI THAT
THE NORTH VIETNAMESE PREFERRED A MILITARY CEASEFIRE FIRST,
WITH A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT TO FOLLOW, SGTH STATED IN CLEAR
AND UNMISTAKABLE LANGUAGE THAT "REGARDLESS OF WHAT
OTHER NATIONS WANT IN LAOS, THE PATRIOTIC FRONT DEMANDS A
GLOBAL SETTLEMENT, WHICH INCLUDES BOTH A POLITICAL
AND MILITARY SETTLEMENT."
(B) DEAN SAID THAT IT APPEARED TO HIM THAT THE
OUTSTANDING DIFFERENCES IN THE DOCUMENT PRESENTLY UNDER
NEGOTIATION BETWEEN THE PATHET LAO AND THE RLG ARE SMALL.
SGTH DID NOT AGREE AND CITED AS EXAMPLE THE. DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES ON THE NAME OF THE RLG. SGTH SAID
THAT THE VIENTIANE SIDE MUST SIGN FOR THE "GOVERNMENT OF
VIENTIANE"IN ORDER TO REFLECT THE FACT THAT THE PRESENT RLG
ONLY CONTROLS A SMALL PORTION OF THE TERRAIN AND THE
POPULATION. DEAN POINTED OUT THE FALLACY OF THIS REASONING,
BECAUSE CONTROL OVER TERRITORY IS NOT NECESSARILY A VALID
CRITERIA FOR CHALLENGING THE LEGALITY OF A GOVERNMENT. FOR
EXAMPLE, CERTAIN PORTIONS OF BURMA ARE IN OPEN REVOLT AGAINST
THE GOVERNMENT IN RANGOON BUT THIS HAS NOT IN ANY WAY LED
TO CALLING THAT GOVERNMENT ANYTHING ELSE THAN THE "GOVERNMENT
OF THE UNION OF BURMA". THE LENGTHY EXCHANGE ON THIS POINT
DID NOT CONVINCE SGTH TO CHANGE THE LPF POSITION ON THAT
END PAGE ONE
TOP SECRET.
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/07/26: LOC-HAK-462-1-33-1
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/07/26: LOC-HAK-462-1-33-1
lOP SECR.E?
POINT.
(C) THE CONCERSATION THEN TURNED TO THE 50-50 FORMULA
FOR A FUTURE COALITION GOVERNMENT. DEAN SAID THAT HE THOUGHT
THAT THE PRIME MINISTER WOULD NOT BUDGE FROM HIS POSITION O F
KEEPING THE PRIME MINISTER'S SLOT IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER
CABINET POSITIONS TO WHICH THE 50-50 FORMULA WOULD BE APPLIED.
SOTH SAID THAT ON THIS POINT, THE PATHET LAO WOULD ACCEPT THE
PRIME MINISTER BEING IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER CABINET
PORTFOLIOS OF WHICH THE PATHET LAO AND THEIR ALLIES WOULD
RECEIVE 50 PERCENT. HOWEVER, IN RETURN FOR THIS CONCESSION,
WHICH SOTH SAID WOULD GIVE THE "RIGHT" MORE THAN HALF OF THE
CABINET SEATS, THE PATHET LAO DEMANDS THAT THE VICE PRIME
MINISTER'S POSITION GO TO THE PATHET LAO AND SPECIFICALLY TO
PRINCE SOUPHANOUVONG. WHEN DEAN POINTED OUT THAT SUCH A
SOLUTION WOULD RUN INTO SEVERE OPPOSITION BY THE RIGHTISTS,
SOTH SAID THAT "IT IS UP TO SOUVANNA TO HANDLE THIS HANDFUL
OF RIGHTIST "TROUBLE-MAKERS WHO HAVE NO POPULAR SUPPORT."
DEAN ARGUED THAT THIS WAS UNREALISTIC, BECAUSE THESE
RIGHTIST CRITICS ENJOY CONSIDERABLE SUPPORT IN THE ROYAL ARMY
AND HENCE HAVE A REAL POWER BASE WHICH SOUVANNA MUST TAKE
INTO ACCOUNT IN NEGOTIATING WITH THE PAT HET LAO.
(D) DEAN THEN POINTED OUT THAT WE HAD INDICATIONS FROM
HANOI THAT RANTHER THAN NEGOTIATING A GLOBAL AGREEMENT AT
THIS STAGE, HANOI FAVORS A STRICTLY MILITARY CEASEFIRE
AGREEMENT IMMEDIATELY AND DISCUSSION OF THE
REMAINING PROBLEMS, INCLUDING THE POLITICAL ISSUES, WITHIN
THRITY DAYS AFTER THE CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT. SOTH SAID THAT
THE PATHET LAO ARE WILLING TO "PROCLAIM" IMMEDIATELY A
CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT BUT SUCH AN ACCORD, BRINGING TO AN END
HOSTILITIES, CAN ONLY BE SIGNED IF, THE TWO SIDES HAVE WORKED
OUT IN ADVANCE THE TERMS OF A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT. DEAN
POINTED OUT THAT THIS MEANS THE PATHET LAO LINK AN IMMEDIATE
MILITARY CEASEFIRE AGREEMENT TO AN UNDERSTANDING ON THE
SETTLEMENT OF THE POLITICAL QUESTION AND ASKED WHETHER THIS
WAS CORRECT. SOTH EMPHATICALLY REITERATED THAT AN IMMEDIATE
END TO HOSTILITIES CAN ONLY BE PROCLAIMED IF THERE IS BROAD
UNDERSTANDING ON THE POLITICAL SETTLEMENT WHICH IS TO FOLLOW.
(3) SINCE THIS CONVERSATION HAD OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF
A CASUAL SOCIAL ENCOUNTER, DID DID NOT CONSIDER HIMSELF
QUALIFIED TO CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION FURTHER. AS DEAN WAS
TRYING TO GET AWAY, SOTH ASKED HIM WHAT HE THOUGHT WOULD
HAPPEN NEXT. DEAN REPLIED THAT THE PATHET LAO SHOULD HELP
THE PRIME MINISTER IN BRINGING ABOUT A CEASEFIRE AS QUICKLY
AS POSSIBLE AND THAT THE INTRANSIGENT PATHET LAO POSITION
UNDERMINES SOUVANNA'S POSITION. SOTH SAID THE PATHET LAO
WOULD NOT MAKE FURTHER CONCESSIONS AND IF NO CEASEFIRE IS
NEGOTIATED NOW, THE PATHET LAO COULD FIGHT ON. HE SAID, "WE
HAVE FOUGHT FOR TWENTY YEARS AND 9 IF NEED BE, WILL CONTINUE
TO FIGHT TO OBTAIN THE KIND OF SETTLEMENT IN LAOS WHICH WE
THINK IS JUST." AT THIS POINT, DEAN BROKE OFF THE CONVERSATION,
ALTHOUGH IT WAS APPARENT THAT SOTH WAS IN NO HURRY TO
DISCONTINUE THE DIALOGUE.
COMMENT: THIS UNFORESEEN AND UNSOLICITED CONVERSATION WITH
THE THIRD RANKING MEMBER OF THE PATHET LAO DELEGATION
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No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/07/26: LOC-HAK-462-1-33-1
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No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/07/26: LOC-HAK-462-1-33-1
TOP SECRET
CONFIRMED WHAT SOUVANNA HAD TOLD US EARLIER IN THE DAY THAT
THE PATHET LAO CONTINUE TO LINK MILITARY ASPECTS OF A
CEASEFIRE TO A POLITICAL SETTLEMENT.
NEW BUT RELATED SUBJECT:
WE UNDERSTAND SOUVANNA PHOUMA GAVE FRENCH ORT (TV) AND
CBS (TV) AN INTERVIEW AT 3:30 THIS AFTERNOON. WE HAVE BEEN
INFORMED THAT HE DODGED QUESTIONS RE NEGOTIATIONS BUT SAID
THAT SOMETHIN+13 WOULD BAPPEN BETWEEN NOW AND FEBRUARY 26.
1050
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No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/07/26: LOC-HAK-462-1-33-1