YOUR QUESTION ON ASEAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83B00551R000100070001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2007
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 19, 1982
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2007/09/21 : CIA-RDP83B00551 R000100070001-1
6 .0
DDI# 5899-82
19 July 1982
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
FROM . David D. Gries
National Intelligence Officerfor East Asia
SUBJECT : Your Question on ASEAN
1. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- consisting of
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand -- was founded
in 1967 as an economic, social, and cultural organization, but its main
achievements have been political and diplomatic. Initially, it devoted its
energies to preventing bilateral squabbles from escalating into serious
conflict; in the process member states developed the common objective of
preserving ASEAN even at the cost of leaving some problems unresolved. In
1975 the emergence of Vietnam as a potential threat to regional stability,
combined with ASEAN's perception of declining US interest in the area, gave
the association the momentum and cohesion it previously lacked. As a result,
its leaders began to try to exert direct influence on policy and events
affecting the region.
2. ASEAN has a system of "Dialogues" at the Cabinet level with the
European Community, Japan and the United States. These are satisfactory to
the US and do not impede our bilateral relationships with the five.
3. In contrast to its political and economic activities and structure,
ASEAN has no formal or informal military functions, and this is likely to
remain the case until relations between Singapore and Malaysia become more
intimate. However, informal military cooperation without an ASEAN label
continues to increase among various groupings of the five members.
4. Intelligence exchanges among ASEAN members are similarly advanced,
again without the organizational label.
5. 1 am attaching a more thorough discussion of ASEAN's development and
the latest cable on ASEAN and the Kampuchean resistance.
David D. Gries ( 1
Attachment: a/s
SECRE1
25X1
Approved For Release 2007/09/21: CIA-RDP83B00551 R000100070001-1