GENERAL VANG PAO'S CURRENT OPERATION ON THE PLAIN OF JARS, LAOS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: November 17, 2011
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: July 15, 1971
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/11/22: LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
ENSITIVE
EYES ONLY July 21, 1971
Henry
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
Karamessines says that for all intentssnd pur-
poses the exercise is stopped due to heavy rains
and enemy resistence and that in his judgment
we have reached the limit of penetration. On
the other hand, his man in Laos will be talking
to Vang Pao tomorrow and a more considered
judgment will be available sometime tomorrow
or Saturday.
Al Haig
. Attachment
9EGPcET 3E SIT IVE
EYES ONLY
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/11/22: LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/11/22: LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7
I ' ,.//
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGEING:
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
~f JUL 19j
1-1
WSAG PAPER
,/The Honorable Henry A. Kissinger
Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs
The Honorable U. Alexis Johnson
Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs
The Honorable David Packard
Deputy Secretary of Defense
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer
Chairman, Joint Chiefs ,of Staff
General Yang Pao's Current
Operation on the Plain of Jars, Laos
1. 1 would like to draw the attention of the members of the
Washington Special Action Group to the policy question raised
by General Vang Pao's current operation on the Plain of Jars.
The last WSAG consideration of military moves by Vang Pao was
on 4 March 1971. The North Vietnamese Army was then besieging
the immediate approaches to Long Tieng. The group at that time
approved operations by Vang Pao to relieve pressure on Long Tieng.
The approval included his movement onto the Plain of Jars but
excluded operations against Xieng Khouangville.
2. The situation today is substantially different. Nang Pao
has succeeded in lifting the siege of Long Tieng and, with the
active encouragement of the King and Souvanna Phouma, has moved
virtually unopposed onto the Plain of Jars. This action is taking
place against the background of an exchange of letters between
Souvanna Phouma and Souvanouvong with the objective of arranging
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/11/22: LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7
25X1
4
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/11/22: LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7
a cease fire and peace talks between the Royal Laos Government
and the Neo Lao Hak Sat. One proposed site for the talks is at
Khang Khay on the Plain of Jars.
3. The latest letter from Souvanouvong, dated 11 July, accuses
the United States, the Lao rightists and Souvanna of being responsible
for the present situation in Laos. The letter notes that whereas
Souvanna Phouma in his most recent letter had proposed a limited
cease fire around the Plain of Jars, a country-wide cease fire,
as proposed by Souvanouvong, was possible by a simple declaration
to that effect by the interested parties. The letter charges that
Vang Pao's operation on the Plain of Jars is sabotaging prospects
for peace talks. There has also been some press and Congressional
attention to this operation.
4. We believe that although Vang Pao is in a militarily sound
position he has reached the outer edges of the policy approval
given in March. On 7 July 1971 Charge Stearns and the CIA Station
Chief queried Vang Pao on his plans for continuing the offensive.
25X1 The results of this conversation were reported to the Washington
community in EXDIS American Embassy Vientiane cable number
4966 Attached to this memorandum is
a map which depicts the present positions of Vang Pao's troops on
the Plain of Jars. These are substantially as reported after the
7 July meeting. In addition to the objectives on the Plain of Jars,
Vang Pao said that if the military situation permitted he would
like to move on to the road junctions at Nong Pet, Lat Bouak and
to the town of Xieng Khouangville.
5. In the context of the current political situation at home and
in Laos, the purpose of this memorandum is to seek policy
review and approval of the current operation and specifically to
insure that should Vang Pao decide that it is militarily feasible
to move to Xieng Khouangville, Nong Pet and Lat Bouak that
there are no policy objections to his doing so.
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/11/22: LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7
 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/11/22: LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7
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Plain of Jars Area
--?------- Road (motorable)
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Other route (possibly
motorable In dry season)
9
Possible ob~ectives.
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SECRET
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Long
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Mong Soum
Present position of `xeneral Vang
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an Ta Viang
San Tiau.
Muong Bo.
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/11/22 : LOC-HAK-15-2-5-7