Ambassadors - 1961-63

2. CAMBODIA William C Trimble1959-June 1962 Phillip D SprouseJune 1962-March 1964 Randolph A KidderJuly-Sept 1964(credentials refused) Ambassadors - 1961-63 • VIETNAM • Frederick J NoltingApril 1961-August 1963 • Henry Cabot LodgeAugust 1963-July 1964 Thailand U. Alexis JohnsonFeb. 1958-April 1961 Kenneth T YoungJune 1961-April 1963 Graham A MartinNov. 1963-Sept. 1967

4. KHMER SERAIAKA: KHMER PROM Anti-Sihanouk LDR: Son Ngoc Thanh Cambodian Dissident Factions • KHMER KAMPUCHEAKROM (KKK) • Pro-Sihanouk • LDR: Chau Dara ISSARAK Pro-Communist, Anti-GVN, Anti-Sihanouk LDR: Thach Prom Verak

5. Memorandum FromMichael V. Forrestal of the National Security Council Staffto President KennedyWashington, December 6, 1962 • “Sihanouk is terrified of Thailand and South Vietnam — and with some reason. Sihanouk and the rest of the world consider that Sarit and Diem are "our boys", that we can control them, but that we haven't done so.”

6. Sihanouk as reported by Ambassador Sprousein TelegramFrom the Embassy in Cambodia to the Department of State,Phnom Penh, June 5, 1962. • “If Son Ngoc Thanh wished to replace him he should return to country and openly appeal to people but not try take over through clandestine means. Prince went on he had plenty of money to retire and live in exile if this desire Cambodian people. He not interested in power for power's sake but only trying to work for his own country. All he wished was to be left alone and to live in peace and on good terms with neighbors, just as he now does with free world and Communist bloc.”

7. RKG-GVN Issues • 1) delimitation and demarcation of frontier. • 2) mutual renunciation of territorial claims. • 3) financial issues, including payment GVN debt to Cambodia. • 4) Cambodian minority in Viet-Nam and Vietnamese minority in Cambodia.

8. The Year of the Cat (1963)“ a year of plots and attenats” • February 28 – Sihanouk accuses Son Ngoc Thanh, with GVN complicity, of plotting to oust him.

9. The Year of the Cat (1963)“ a year of plots and attenats” • February 28 – Sihanouk accuses Son Ngoc Thanh, with GVN complicity, of plotting to oust him. • April 1 – “Neutralist” Lao opposition leader and Foreign Minister Quinim Pholsena was assassinated.

10. The Year of the Cat (1963)“ a year of plots and attenats” • February 28 – Sihanouk accuses Son Ngoc Thanh, with GVN complicity, of plotting to oust him. • April 1 – “Neutralist” Lao opposition leader and Foreign Minister Quinim Pholsena was assassinated. • May 1 – Sihanouk claims to have foiled a CIA-directed bomb-plot when PRC President Liu Shao Chi visited Cambodia.

11. The Year of the Cat (1963)“ a year of plots and attenats” • February 28 – Sihanouk accuses Son Ngoc Thanh, with GVN complicity, of plotting to oust him. • April 1 – “Neutralist” Lao opposition leader and Foreign Minister Quinim Pholsena was assassinated. • May 1 – Sihanouk claims to have foiled a CIA-directed bomb-plot when PRC President Liu Shao Chi visited Cambodia. • May 22 -- Prince Sihanouk charged that President Diem was mistreating both Vietnamese and Khmer Buddhists.

12. The Year of the Cat (1963)“ a year of plots and attenats” • February 28 – Sihanouk accuses Son Ngoc Thanh, with GVN complicity, of plotting to oust him. • April 1 – “Neutralist” Lao opposition leader and Foreign Minister Quinim Pholsena was assassinated. • May 1 – Sihanouk claims to have foiled a CIA-directed bomb-plot when PRC President Liu Shao Chi visited Cambodia. • May 22 -- Prince Sihanouk charged that President Diem was mistreating both Vietnamese and Khmer Buddhists. • June 11 – Buddhist monk burned himself to death in front of Cambodian representation residence.

13. The Year of the Cat (1963)“ a year of plots and attenats” • February 28 – Sihanouk accuses Son Ngoc Thanh, with GVN complicity, of plotting to oust him. • April 1 – “Neutralist” Lao opposition leader and Foreign Minister Quinim Pholsena was assassinated. • May 1 – Sihanouk claims to have foiled a CIA-directed bomb-plot when PRC President Liu Shao Chi visited Cambodia. • May 22 -- Prince Sihanouk charged that President Diem was mistreating both Vietnamese and Khmer Buddhists. • June 11 – Buddhist monk burned himself to death in front of Cambodian representation residence.

14. The Year of the Cat (1963) II“ a year of plots and attenats” • August – Resumption of Khmer Serei radio broadcasts from Vietnam.

15. Telegram From the Embassy in Cambodiato the Department of StatePhnom Penh, October 12, 1963. • “Sihanouk has employed emotional and defensive tone which betrays almost obsessive concern. Most likely explanation this phenomenon lies in his violent reaction to any development appearing contradict or threaten picture of Cambodia and Cambodians completely unified under his leadership and which thus could represent challenge and threat to him. Also, although [the Embassy] had no evidence of support for Khmer Serei inside Cambodia (which in any case likely be handicapped by association this movement with Thais and Vietnamese), Sihanouk may actually fear it represents threat to him either politically or personally, particularly if he believes it has significant external backing. Timing recent campaign consistent this analysis inasmuch as it appears to have begun about time resumption Khmer Serei broadcasts from Viet-Nam (mid-August) and to have been greatly stimulated by Khmer Krom loyalty demonstration to Diem . . . which Sihanouk has repeatedly and violently denounced as forced.”

16. COMUSMACV PLAN • a. Permit photo reconnaissance flights on the Cambodian side of the border. • b. Relax current restrictions on clandestine intelligence operations across the border in Cambodia. • c. Institute a "hot pursuit" policy authorizing ground forces in contact with the Viet Cong to pursue enemy units across the border. This permission should extend to pursuit of Cambodian forces found violating RVN territory. • d. Impose rigid inspection controls on Cambodian use of the Mekong River in attempting to prevent the introduction of hostile personnel and contraband into the RVN.

17. The Year of the Cat (1963) II“ a year of plots and attenats” • August – Resumption of Khmer Serei radio broadcasts from Vietnam. • November 1 – Ngo Dinh Diem's government in South Vietnam was overthrown and Diem was assassinated.

18. The Year of the Cat (1963) II“ a year of plots and attenats” • August – Resumption of Khmer Serei radio broadcasts from Vietnam. • November 1 – Ngo Dinh Diem's government in South Vietnam was overthrown and Diem was assassinated. • November 5 – Sihanouk ultimatum on cessation of U.S. and French military and economic aid.

19. The Year of the Cat (1963) II“ a year of plots and attenats” • August – Resumption of Khmer Serei radio broadcasts from Vietnam. • November 1 – Ngo Dinh Diem's government in South Vietnam was overthrown and Diem was assassinated. • November 5 – Sihanouk ultimatum on cessation of U.S. and French military and economic aid. • November 22 – John F Kennedy assassinated.

20. The Year of the Cat (1963) II“ a year of plots and attenats” • August – Resumption of Khmer Serei radio broadcasts from Vietnam. • November 1 – Ngo Dinh Diem's government in South Vietnam was overthrown and Diem was assassinated. • November 5 – Sihanouk ultimatum on cessation of U.S. and French military and economic aid. • November 22 – John F Kennedy assassinated. • November 23 – Hiep Hoa SF camp over-run.

21. The Year of the Cat (1963) II“ a year of plots and attenats” • August – Resumption of Khmer Serei radio broadcasts from Vietnam. • November 1 – Ngo Dinh Diem's government in South Vietnam was overthrown and Diem was assassinated. • November 5 – Sihanouk ultimatum on cessation of U.S. and French military and economic aid. • November 22 – John F Kennedy assassinated. • November 23 – Hiep Hoa SF camp over-run. • December 8 – Thai Prime Minister Sarit Thanarat died.

22. The Year of the Cat (1963) II“ a year of plots and attenats” • August – Resumption of Khmer Serei radio broadcasts from Vietnam. • November 1 – Ngo Dinh Diem's government in South Vietnam was overthrown and Diem was assassinated. • November 5 – Sihanouk ultimatum on cessation of U.S. and French military and economic aid. • November 22 – John F Kennedy assassinated. • November 23 – Hiep Hoa SF camp over-run. • December 8 – Thai Prime Minister Sarit Thanarat died.

23. On December 9, the Phnom Penh Domestic Radio Service,a government agency, broadcast this communiqué in Cambodian. The U.S. Foreign Broadcast Radio Service attributed the statementto the Ministry of Information and translated it as above. • "Thanks to divine protection for our Kampuchea, all the enemies of Cambodia suffer complete destruction. Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu were killed by bullets. Their friend Sarit Thanarat, who mistreated Cambodia incessantly, has just met with sudden death. Moreover, the great boss of these aggressors shared the same fate. So we have seen that those who want to mistreat Cambodia and who despise our venerated Samdech Aou will not be able to live long and will certainly be first destroyed. As for traitors Son Ngoc Thanh and Sam Sary, they will certainly die a sudden death like dogs within 15 days. Those who headed these three countries— some are truly wicked, others a little wicked or wicked enough— are gone to the other world. We had only three enemies, and the leaders of these three countries all died and went to hell, all three, in a period of a month and a half. They are meeting there in a conference of the Free World's SEATO.”

24. “Sihanouk alone and in a sense unaided has produced out of thin air in recent weeks present major crisis which, climaxed by his latest speech, has brought US-Cambodian relations to low ebb.” Telegram From the Embassy in Cambodia to the Department of StatePhnom Penh, December 19, 1963, 7 p.m.

25. Sihanouk, According to DOS • 1. His conviction Communists will win in Southeast Asia and Cambodian survival as national entity, which remains his over-whelming obsession, depends upon his making some kind of arrangement with ChiComs. • 2. His mental state,compounded by rigid diet cure under supervision French doctor in October. • 3. Pathological hatred of US as evidenced by constant campaign of abuse in public statements during past few weeks.

26. Sihanouk's Outlook • – Sihanouk felt CIA was “implanting an armed political opposition inside the country so that we would have to beg for American arms to keep order.” • – Sihanouk said he “was accused of having wasted and made ill-use of the dribble of US Aid that I received” while Laos was abandoning huge quantities of arms on the battlefield. • – Sihanouk was angry at Sarit Thanarat for describing him as “a pig trying to stand up to a lion” which led him to break off relations with Thailand.

27. The Year of the Dragon (1964)a year of provocations • February – Sihanouk publishes his proposal for U.S., RTG, RKG and GVN “solution”.

28. The Year of the Dragon (1964)a year of provocations • February – Sihanouk publishes his proposal for U.S., RTG, RKG and GVN “solution”. • March 15 – Cambodian village bombed and strafed; U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh attacked by demonstrators.

29. The Year of the Dragon (1964)a year of provocations • February – Sihanouk publishes his proposal for U.S., RTG, RKG and GVN “solution”. • March 15 – Cambodian village bombed and strafed; U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh attacked by demonstrators. • May 13 – Cambodia protests to UNSC re ARVN-US “invasions” May 7 and 8.

30. The Year of the Dragon (1964) • February – Sihanouk publishes his proposal for U.S., RTG, RKG and GVN “solution”. • March 15 – Cambodian village bombed and strafed; U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh attacked by demonstrators. • May 13 – Cambodia protests to UNSC re ARVN-US “invasions” May 7 and 8. • July 9 – US. Ambassador's credentials rejected.

31. The Year of the Dragon (1964)a year of provocations • February – Sihanouk publishes his proposal for U.S., RTG, RKG and GVN “solution”. • March 15 – Cambodian village bombed and strafed; U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh attacked by demonstrators. • May 13 – Cambodia protests to UNSC re ARVN-US “invasions” May 7 and 8. • July 9 – US. Ambassador's credentials rejected. • September 19 – Montagnard Revolt.

32. The “bearded Cham,” who turned out to be a communist agent, with COL Freund at Buon Sar Pa.

33. National Geographic cover storyon Montagnard revolt.

34. October Incidents • October 24 – Cambodia shot down of one of three U.S. C-123 aircraft that strayed into Cambodian territory. Eight U.S. crewmen died in the crash. • October 20 – accidental bombing of the Cambodian village of Anlong Kres by the South Vietnamese Air Force. • October 22 – A fire fight erupted between a Vietnamese unit with two U.S. advisers and the Viet Cong across the Cambodian border near the village of Banteay Chakrey. Three Vietnamese soldiers and one U.S. adviser [Special Forces Captain Herman Towery] were killed.

35. The Year of the Dragon (1964)a year of provocations • February – Sihanouk publishes his proposal for U.S., RTG, RKG and GVN “solution”. • March 15 – Cambodian village bombed and strafed; U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh attacked by demonstrators. • May 13 – Cambodia protests to UNSC re ARVN-US “invasions” May 7 and 8. • July 9 – US. Ambassador's credentials rejected. • September 19 – Montagnard Revolt. • October 27 – Multiple incidents on GVN-RKG border; results in threat of severing diplomatic relations.

36. The Year of the Dragon (1964)a year of provocations • February – Sihanouk publishes his proposal for U.S., RTG, RKG and GVN “solution”. • March 15 – Cambodian village bombed and strafed; U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh attacked by demonstrators. • May 13 – Cambodia protests to UNSC re ARVN-US “invasions” May 7 and 8. • July 9 – US. Ambassador's credentials rejected. • September 19 – Montagnard Revolt. • October 27 – Multiple incidents on GVN-RKG border; results in threat of severing diplomatic relations.

37. The President asked whether or not it would be appropriate to seek the reestablishment of relationships with Cambodia. Ambassador Murphy commented that he thinks this would be a wise move. The President stated, “I remember him [Sihanouk] and think we can do business. Perhaps I should write a note to him.” ----------------------- General Goodpaster stated if we are to contact Sihanouk, we should discuss our concern about Sihanoukville and the movement of North Vietnamese arms through that port. Dr. Kissinger stated, “Sihanouk’s main value is the fact that he mirrors the attitudes of the Asians. He is a sort of barometer. You can be sure he will never stick his neck out.”

38. Sihanouk of signals a new desire for better relations with the U.S. • 1. Approaches to the French, Australians, Indonesians, and, most recently, President Marcos of the Philippines, to express interest in better U.S.-Cambodian relations. • 2. Release of the 12 American soldiers detained in Cambodia; although their release was long overdue, Sihanouk undoubtedly thought of it as a gracious gesture on his part. • 3. Remarks in a press conference about the usefulness of a continuing U.S. presence in Southeast Asia, counterbalancing Chinese ambitions. • 4. Dispatch of a Cambodian foreign service officer to Washington to work under the aegis of the French Embassy here as “custodian” of the Cambodian embassy building. • 5. A noticeably more moderate reaction to recent border incidents, including a serious and embarrassing one in which a U.S. reconnaissance patrol destroyed a truck, killed eight Cambodian civilians, and captured a ninth. • 6. Application for membership in the IMF and IBRD, and reactivation of Cambodian membership in the Asian Development Bank. • 7. Expressions of desire for private foreign investment, with the governor of the Cambodian central bank visiting New York to promote investment by U.S. firms. • 8. Grant of landing rights to Pan American Airways, after several years of sporadic negotiations.

39. Helms' Briefing re CambodiaMinutes of National Security Council Meeting, Washington, January 25, 1969. — Sihanouk has long expected a Communist win. — Has recognized NLF. — Protests U.S. Incursions. — Has recently developed second thoughts as the Communist foothold in his country has increased and has initiated tentative feelers to renew relations with the U.S. — Cambodia realizes significant revenue through logistic support to NVA. — The Communist organization in Cambodia controls the logistics framework for the war effort in South Vietnam which includes both land and water routing but CIA lacks hard intelligence with respect to the latter.

40. Ambassador Bunker's CommentsTelegram 2830 from Saigon, February 12 “I realize fully the political implications of such a strike on Cambodian soil, but notwithstanding I support General Abrams in his request for authority to mount a strike. If Sihanouk complains, our rejoinder must be that COSVN is located on his territory and has been for years. He has done nothing about it although his forces in the area are fully aware of COSVN’s presence. Preparations are being made for new attacks on South Vietnam and Saigon and we cannot permit these attacks to be planned and mounted from Cambodia; and finally that virtually no Cambodians live in immediate area.”

41. 1969 • July 2 – Diplomatic relations restored. • July – Lon Nol-Khmer Serei meetings near Tien Binh on Cambodia Route 2. • Late August – Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield traveled to Cambodia. Kissinger uses the Mansfield notes as evidence that Sihanouk gave tacit approval to secret U.S. bombing of Cambodia.

42. Prince Sihanouk's Comments”Cambodia After the War in Vietnam,” December Issue of Sangkum Prince Sihanouk, in that article: — briefly disposes of the suggestion that he should be grateful for the US presence in Asia, but — argues that “in all honesty and objectivity” the US presence “permits us to be respected, if not courted, by the European and even Asian Socialist camps.” Mocking his own role, he observes that “The prospect of an early retreat of the Americans from South Vietnam plunges all the friends of the US into fear— except Cambodia, of course, which will know how to fall before Communism with its customary poise and dignity.

43. MACV Cambodia AssessmentMemorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon, Washington, March 17, 1970. Sihanouk’s may have negotiated a quid pro quo with Pham Van Dong, during his trip to Hanoi for the Ho Chi-Minh funeral, in which the latter made some promises of withdrawals. Sihanouk seems to be less than happy with Vietnamese performance on that deal. Aside from domestic reasons for absenting himself (having lost a test with Sirik Matak in parliament in late December), Sihanouk may have decided on his sudden trip to France to avoid a scheduled visit by Pham Van Dong until he could see how the situation was developing. Demonstrations against the Communist embassies in Phnom Penh, followed reports that Sirik Matak had ordered the VC/NVA to remove their troops from Cambodia. The coup took place on the following day. (March 18, 1970).

44. Lon Nol and Sirik Matak were probably reflecting strong nationalistic feelings in Cambodia, but it is still moot whether they cleared their actions with Sihanouk. Given the sharp competition between Sirik Matak and Sihanouk, it is possible that Sirik wanted to present Sihanouk with a fait accompli, or to challenge him to a test on grounds where Sirik Matak’s position would be popular. On the other hand, nobody has challenged Sihanouk so directly in years, and it is quite possible that this is an elaborate maneuver, to permit Sihanouk to call for Soviet and Chinese cooperation in urging the VC/NVA to leave, on the grounds that he will fall and be replaced by a “rightist” leader if the VC/NVA stay in Cambodia. The recent behavior of Sihanouk and the RKG would fit either thesis— i.e., that this is a collusive gambit; or that Sihanouk in fact faces a challenge from Sirik Matak and Lon Nol. — Sihanouk has publicly claimed that the attacks on Vietnamese installations were “organized by pro-American plotters” and has expressed fears about a “right wing coup.” — He has announced that he will return home via Moscow and Peking, and that he will seek support in those capitals to urge the Vietnamese “to stop interfering in Cambodian affairs and avoid giving the rightists a pretext for seizing power.”