SENATE TOLD NIXON AID TO LAOS ILLEGAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73B00296R000300090040-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 17, 2001
• Sequence Number: 40
• Publication Date: June 1, 1971
• Content Type: NSPR

S
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a r. vY .f) 5:.- ~. Cr a O~ P OS : ~.~ t
senate `old
Nixon Aid to
Laos Illegal
By Spencer Rich
Washington Post Staff Writer
Behind barred doors, Sen.
Stuart Symington (D-Mo?) told
a rare, 3-hour-and-22,m}nute se-
cret session of the Senate yes-
4
1terday that President Nixon
`has violated a congressional
rr r .c;....,,..; a of
foreign mercenary troops
t of
fighting for the governmen
Laos. _ . said he
wants the Senate to know au; the open, find ways to env L?_~ ! first authorizes oy -E-11
d that "the volun-
it
"
"
,
~ Kennedy an
i war not enlarge
the details of "the secret war
+eii reoortersi - in Laos at the re
W no rest link -R wean the
- Mint t -ail.--- I
Eulbright smear"nt w a s
passed I was not It, are of the
Thai mercenaries o ruhe B-52 -- assent
raids." He added: "
wasn't to these ciivities but
to interdiction of h,, Chi Minh
trails.".
Jacob K. Javita (I,?-N.Y.) told
reporters the b "+. question
a "is ,being raised wF ,
new war or is really con-
nected with wit drawal from
Vietnam?"
State Depar ,t+?nt sources
said later that ti e Thais being
used aren't re -rnited on a
government - tc - government
basis, but were n4ividuals re-
cruited from t ,e borderside
Tli f 1xti8* . -
any bymntsL.,.. ,,,,.,_ lcs,' -_ --- -
in Laos before voting quest of the Prime Minister,
quest of the Prim
n
to
t
the
.
more funds for it, was quoted dla V. uce an
to
amendment
by senators present as saying procurement authori- Bray read to reporters a let
that the administration wants zation defense bill, when it reaches the ter from Assistant Secretary
- -- ? hnidife eco-I _r +s+o navid Abshlre to Sen.
lion economic and military ab ?-. He said
120
s to $200
on
the
h ever, Brady, the thrust of the letter
sistance. This includes $
ent,
ublic Sunday by Ken
financing a covert
added expendi-
de
a
tra
p
r
million for
would not b
CIA military operation in tures for bombing the Ho Chi head) is that support of the
northern Laos that arms some Minh trail in southern Laos Thai troops in Northern Laos
ite the Eulbright
ther tribes.
f North
s
d
n
p
e
d o
is legal
to interdict the flow o
32,000 Meo a
men and now is using some Vietnamese men and supplies amendment, in order to pro-
4,800 troops recruited in Thai- to South Vietnam. tact U.S. withdrawal from
land. A key issue in the debate South Vietnam, as allowed in
Symington, Clifford P. Case and in a later long-range ex I the amendment.
(R .N. j.) and J. W. Eulbright change between senators and Bray also cited an Aug. 20,
(D Ark.), among others who the State Department was i, 1970, statement in the Senate
by Eulbright that his amend-
have urged the administration whether the use of CIA funds bar "what is go-
to make public the details 01 - to hire Thais to fight on be- rent doesn't that is,
nation's Laotian involvee- half of the Laotian govern ing on in Laos, our as
this ment violates the 1970 Ful- bombing of the trail,
rent stressed that the figures the
,
bright amendment. This is a sistance to Laos or what our
cited in the closed Senate ses provision of the defense ap people are doing there."
Sion were exclusive of the cost propriation bill signed into Eulbright told reporters
of B 52 and other air railane ds in. law Jan. 11, 1971, after a fu- the time
that at the time
U.S. ps
Laos conducted by i e
flying from Thailand, South rious battle between the ~+en' he was speaking
Vietnam, other bases and car- ate and the House. about interdicting the Ho Chi
The provision bars the use 'Minh trail in Southern Laos.
tiers.
Eulbright said after the ses- of defense funds to supp ' He said he didn't even know
o -about, and tcertainly
sion that his staff calculates "free world forces" in actions not been th condoning, my
the cost of bombs alone for suppo t a d assistance to the;-had ad raids in northern the
s sup hick were started last year, B-52 Laos,
such raids at $500 million a
Laos," but specifies b that it i t the financing of Thais to
ear. Other Senate s
bl
y
y
oba
eed
figure was pr
actions nTT41ght in Northern Laos.
r cti s needed
said this Earlier, Eulbright had read
low, and said the total cost of from taking ac
bombing and air activity con ,to insure the safe and orderly I
by the-U.S. over Laos vent i to the secret session a state
ducted by
ts-1r'c>ithea t .rent from William Sullivan
a 'ac2iy be up to $2 bil wit hdrawal or d
of USe S Ambassador to,
lion a year. Their reasoning: Asia Or to `aid in t19e r(.if ;`use n epn y distant
,>! -7i~*,;rans bold as pris"^ elate -`which Fu'.
. ,a l*fo1 syming-
inyiui `; a fc'' ie senate
TesGlmul!J' !;S
-
.
toms Subcommittee on the tei5 per-
ti ttmv,
Security Agreements acid
trion the
dis- ap4ai oP
Commitments Abroad
closed that the bomb load of law has been ebri#rav~ned
"The amendment said you
planes smaller t of $3,190 $,t1i t) er couldn't spend money to train
cost an average and put people of foreign gov-
i
t
n
surtie, ornments into Laos or
o 11
IM 3 ri,,u v v'
ske}ii flown over i.aos,l a"ulbright, too, told reporters
ldofg'
north and'sdi h, ai'ld with lark- later le thinks the law has
and it was his
n violated
the~b
,
ee
er-load B-52s now in use,
bomb and flight cost is between amendment.
$1 billion and $2 billion a year. . 1.i ority Whip Robert P.
dly
.)
ator who was pres-i Main (H -Mich
s
en
of
One
-fI
t+afte~r itftfiinedT It the
ent said; Symington,,
n
tion was violating a 1970 co
l ban on the hiring of
gressiona
mercenaries to fight for the { spokesman, aclimifTedged
for the first time that
t of Laos, angrily I
l
bli
pu
y
c
governmen
asserted that "he wouldn't be the United States is financing
in the Senate if it wrote laws i; Thai troops to fight in North-
eluding the President." Contending these actions
"Case was- very effective were "fully consistent with all
ietnotioital pertinent legislation," Bray
'also; he made an
.. ..4 .n
fi
ing was
the
nanc
Edward M. Kennedy (u-inass.).
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` k-iE NEW YORK TIMES DATE ~1...~)IIJJ r PAG
U. S. Defends Support of Thai
By JOHN W. FINNEY
Specla4 to The New Yorb Times
WASHINGTON, June 7-The
State Department said today
that the financial and material
support that the United States
was providing Thai "vo?lun-
teers" fighting in Laos on be-
1aif of the Laotian Government
was "fully consistent with all
pertinent legislation."
The department's statement
for the current fiscal year at
the suggestion of Senator Ful-
bright.
The State Department, in de-
claring that the American sup-
port of Thai forces in Laos was
"fully consistent" with the law,
based its case largely on the
ground that the program of
using "volunteers" in Laos pre-
dated enactment of the Ful-
bright amendment.
One principal point that
emerged from the secret ses-
came shortly before the Senatejsion, according to Senators, was
ti
t
S
t
S t
rt
es
ma
e y
ena
or
ua
Symington, Democrat of Mis-
souri, that the United States
was spending at least $350-mil-
lion annually in support of the
Laotian Government in the war
in northern Laos against the
pro-Communist Pathet Lao and
North Vietnamese forces. This
would be seven times chore
department had informed Sen-
ator Fullbright, chairman of l
the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, and Senator Clif-
ford P. Case of New Jersey, a
Republican member of the com-
mittee, that American support
of the Thai troops did not vio-
late the law.
Violation Issue Debated
Whether the law was being
violated was a key question de-
bated in the Senate's secret
session today. The legislation
in question was an amendment
barring the use of mercenaries
that had been .igrated into
the defense,_ap tions' law
Troops in Laos
than has been publicly acknowl
edged by the Administration.
At the State 'Department-
Charles W. Bray 3d, the depart
meat spokesman, declined to
give any estimate of the
amount of military and econom-
ic aid that the United States
was providing the Laotian Gov-
ernment or irregular forces in
northern Laos.
Mr. Bray said the "volunteers
were in Laos at the request" o
Premier Souvanna Phouma and
"the Administration believes
support of this program is fully
consistent with all pertinen
legislation."
The only public figure that
has been given by the Adminis-
tration is $52-million in eco-
nomic aid in the current fiscal
year. In addition, Congress re-
portedly has appropriated some
$100-million in military aid.
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 5
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~ 1 pti I PAGE
THE EVENING STAR "" 1 ..=
Symington Proposes Ceiling
On U.S.-Aid in North Laos
Associated Press
Sen. Stuart Symington is seek-
ing a $200 million ceiling on
American aid to Laos.
Symington, D-Mo., said securi-
ty classification prevents him
from disclosing the amount
being spent on U.S. air opera-
tions and support of Thai forces
fighting Communist units in
Laos.
But the total was reported by
other sources to be at least $250
million a year, and possibly
much more.
While the Senate met in secret
session yesterday to discuss
tions that would help promote
withdrawal of U.S. troops from
South Vietnam, or release of
American prisoners of war.
The closed session, seventh for
the Senate in five years, lasted
three hours and 25 minutes,
more than twice as long as
planned.
"I reported to them, in effect,
that what was actually going on
in Laos was quite different in
some details than we have been
other air Involvement over the
northern part of the country, as
well as support of foreign forces.
on findings of i vtl Foreign Rela-
tions Committh staff men who
visited Laos la .t April.
That still-cla,s-fied report, by
James G. Low _~nstein and Rich-
ard Moose, r, portedly tells of
Central Intelli ,e rice Agency fi-
nancing of a=bout 4,800 Thai
troops in Laos.
Fulbright said his staff esti-
mates the cost of U.S. air raids
over Laos at over $500 million a
year, not counting the B52 mis-
sions only recently disclosed.
Sen. Clifford P. Case, R-N.J.,
estimated the sum involved in
operations away from Commu-
nist supply routes in the south to
be at least $250 million a year.
told," said Symington, who proI He said that was $100 million
posed the secret session. i more than he had known about.
"We believe that quite a few The closed Senate session was
Thai people, irregulars and reg- called to hear Symington report
Laos the State Department con-
firmed the United States is pro-
viding financial and other sup-
port to forces in Laos.
Press officer Charles Bray de-
scribed those troops as volun-
teers, and said the U.S. support
program is consistent with the
law.
Symington said they are mer-
cenaries. "My personal opinion
is that the law has been contra-
vened."
Sen. J. W. Fulbright, D-Ark.,
who proposed the amendment
forbidding use of U.S. funds to
support foreign forces fighting
for the governments of Laos and
Cambodia, said he thinks that
ulars, are fighting in Laos. We
think that contravenes the law
recently passed by Congress.
"We would have known more
about it if there had been a
ceiling on the money they could
have spent, and they would have
had to come before us to ask for
m o r e authority," Symington
said.
He said his amendment would
forbid. spending more than $200
million a year in Laos, unless I
the administration asks specific I
authority to spend more. i
The ceiling would not apply to
cost of U.S. air operations
southern Laos, in the area. of the
Ho Chi Minh t14. But it sgould
The amendment excludes ac- cover B52 bozUb mission and
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THE EVENING STAR DATE PAC
YOLUNTEERS1 BANGKOK.- INSISTS
Thais in Laos ldentifid
as "Regulars"
BY TAMMY ARBUCKIE particular 1 ; th
e
special to The star have no official sanction from
VIENTIANE, Laos - De- Bangkok.
spite official statements that (Even the number of troops
the Thai forces serving in is in dispute. As a result of
Laos are volunteers without U.S. Senate inquiries into the
official sanction from the operation, the figure of 4,800
B a n g k o k government, in- troops presently is given in
formed sources here say they Washington as the number of
are regular Thai army troops. Thai troops on duty in Laos.)
The sources said the troops ., The Lao military attributes
sent here keep their Thai the official Thai position to
army rank and salary as well corruption. They say only cer-
as the salary paid by the tain members of the Thai gov-
Americans. ernment are pocketing pay-
Some Thai units come here ments from the United States,
in a group, said the sources, so the entire Thai cabinet may
adding that Thailand's 940th not be informed of the entire
Battalion presently is garri- U.S. arrangement for Thais to
soned on Hill 1663 west of Ban fight in Laos.
Na on the southwest rim of the Thai troops have been fight-
Plain of Jars in northern Laos. ing in Laos since late 1.964. The
The Thais are sent to Laos first Thai unit in Laos was a
on temporary detachment for battery of 155mm howitzers
six months or a year, the based near Ban Khay village
sources said. There are cases in the Plain of Jars.
where units are formed from Thai officers and men then
Thais of different units who were sent separately to guer-
have volunteered for certain rilla units run by the CIA.
duties in Laos, the sources On Feb. 1, 1967, a reporter
said. However, these units re- met one of these Thais at NAM
main part of the Thai army on Bac, Lao fortress 40 miles
ff loan to the U.S. Central Intelli- southwest at Dien Bien Phu.
gene Agency, the sources The Thai said he was a cap-
said. tain in the Thai army and
The only voluntary aspect of came from Bangkok.
their duty is that Thai soldiers, An American in civilian
are anxious for assignment to clothes was commanding his
Laos because of the financial unit and was responsible for
benefits. payment, he said.
Officials of the United States There were at least 20 Thais
and Thailand governments in- with the captain at Nam Bac
sist the Thai troops in Laos, and Site 217.
numbering at least 3,200, are On June 25, 1969, the Thai
volunteers. Thai officials, in Artillery unit (which remained
years while men were rotated)
was overrun when North Viet-
nallese tanks broke through
the neutralist Lao troops.
Following this attack, in
which at least 30 Thais were
killed, Bangkok insisted on
having Thai troops protect the
Thai gunners. Thai gunners
also were sent to Long Cheng,
further south, but this time
several hundred - some
sources say 800 - Thai infan-
trymen were sent to protect
the artillery.
Part of these units now are
at Fire Base Zebra northeast
of Long Cheng.
Recently Thai troops have
served on the Bolovens Pla-
teau in southern Laos and on
operations against Route Sev-
en, the main Hanoi resupply
route to its troops in northern
Laos.
All troops under American
control who need medical help
are sent to Thailand directly,
American officials say, so
Thais have no worries if they
are sick or wounded.
The Communist Lao radio
claims over 300 Thais have
been killed in action in Laos,
but American officials say it's
less than 200.
The Thai role, according to
U.S. officials is to make up for
heavy losses among the Meo
tribesmen of Gen. Vang Pao,
who have been fighting since
1960 against the North Viet-
namese, suffering in the last
action.
The i.a-) army claims it's
under s rength and unable to
substant aly help Vang Pao
because its spread the length
of Lao:. facing the enemy.
This c1dint, however, is sus-
pect. HL alcreds of unemployed
young men roam around
Vienttia'e on motorbikes.
When Gt n. Koupraisith Abhay,
the Vientiane military boss,
tried to conscript them, he
found tli -y are the sons of in-
fluential Laotians who protest-
ed cone 'r ption and forced
Kouprasr h to cease his activi-
ties.
Also, ? ?veral thousand. Lao
troops a e not gainfully em-
ployed bit act as bodyguards,
chauffeurs, office personnel or
are buildin,, new villas for Lao
officers.
Despite b 1l this, it may be
said that L ios still is woefully
short of manpower as well as
good fief: i officers and some
military ? tir,cipline. Therefore,
Lao veer. ; help from its ethnic
neighbors the Thais.
The L 3o however, don't
want thtr neighbors in the
western ,r-winces of Cham-
passac ai ii Sayaboury, which
the Thais et'vet nor in Mekong
River tov> a where the Thai
propensit for the spoils of
war may catch that of Saigon
troops in Cambodia. There-
fore, they xra in the mountains
of northe -n Laos where the
Thais can dt. the most fighting
and the least mischief.
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t4 6r ins Are Bazz d
From Spy Raids in Laos
By WILLIAM BEECHER
S 1. to Thk New Yb1! Rkme.
WASHINGTON, June 11 - Senator Stuart Symington
The Nixon Administration has the enemy's Infiltration activi-
decided that Americans will no
longer be permitted to enter
southern Laos as leaders of
teams keeping watch on enemy
movements along the Ho Chi
Minh Trails network.
Before the South Vietnamese
drive into Laos in February and
March, Americans had been as-
signed to such missions. But
they were then barred for fear
an embarrassing incident might
arise that would appear tol
contradict President Nixon's
pledge that no American mili-
tary men would be involved in
ground combat in that Laotian
campaign.
Well-placed Nixon Adminis-
tration sources said that plans
to resume the use of Ameri-
cans on trail-watching teams
after the South Vietnamese
drive ended had been vetoed
by officials at the White
House and the Pentagon. The
informants said that the deci-
ties has gone down recently as
small teams made up of South
Vietnamese and of Montagnard
tribesmen have taken over the
trail-watching missions. But!
they said there were otherl
means of collecting informa-
tion, among them aerial recon-
naissance and special sensors
planted along the trail.
American participation in
the missions had come under
a secret military unit known
officially as the Studies and
Observation Group. Established
in 1964 as a joint venture of
the Central Intelligence Agen-
cy and the Army, it has been
involved not only in watching
trails but also in attempts at
rescuing prisoners and other
highly sensitive missions in
Laos, Cambodia and North
Vietnam.
After a closed-door briefing
1 sion had been made partly be-1
cause of growing Congression-'
al criticism of American mils-i
tary activity in Laos and partly
because all military missions
are being turned over to the
South Vietnamese as the Unit-
ed States disengages from the
.war.
,i , conce&ed :that tht
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THE N' W YO11K '.Z._iv
THE NI:'q YORK TIMES, SATURDAY, ,JUNE 12, 1971
Americans Barred From Laos Spy Raids
Continued .From Page 1, Col. 3 A Demilitarized Zone
of the Senate earlier this week, Sought for Angkor Area
Senator Stuart Symington,
Democrat of Missouri, de-
clared, "Our activities in Laos
have been carried out largely
in secret, without Congression-
al sanction and outside the
normal appropriations proc-
ess."
Air Strikes a Factor
The main focus of Congres-
sional concern has been Amer
ican support of Thais and Lao-
tian tribesmen who, ~lied by
Americans working for the Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency, have
been conducting both combat
and surveillance missions
against North Vietnamese and
Pathet Lao forces in Laos. Ex-
tensive American air strikes
throughout Laos have also been
cited as a source of concern.
When the Studies a:nd Ob-
servation Group was estab-
lished, it was intended primar-
ily for missions in and around
North Vietnam.
Some of its teams are known
to have: slipped into North Viet-
namese waters in fast boats to
kidnap fishermen, who were
brought to South Vietnam for
interrogation on conditions in
the North and then released.
Other teams made up of refu-
gees from North Vietnam were
occasionally sent back by heli-
copter on spy or sabotage mis-
sions.
All such operations required
advanced approval in Washing-
ton, the informants said.
In 1966, the unit was also
authorized to watch trails and
to spot targets for American
bombers. The informants said
that these tasks were under-
taken by the Army alone, with-
out C.I.A. participation. In late
1966 or early 1967, similar ac-
tivity reportedl was extended
y
to include l ainFodia? again
PNOMPENH, Cambodia,
June 11 (AP)-Cambodia ap-
pealed today for a demili-
tarized zone encompassing
the ancient ruins of Angkor
Wat and Angkor Thorn to
protect them from battle
damage.
Cambodia's acting Premier
Lieut. Gen. Sisowath Sirik
Matak, broadcast an appeal
for international control of
the temples. Angkor Wat was
hit in February. Both sides
accused the other of firing on
the temple, demolishing part
of a gatehouse and damaging
one of the long walls depict-
ing the history of the ancient
Khmer nation.
The Premier said Cam-
bodia would agree to avoid
any action that might lead
to a military occupation of
Angkor and the surrounding
temples near the former
tourist center of Siern Reap,
143 miles northwest of
Pnompenh.
According to the informants,!
the teams operated no morel
than about 20 to 30 miles in-'
side Laos. Any watching of tra
beyond that point, it was said,
was assigned to special
guerrilla units organized in Laosi
by the C.I.A.
Pentagon and other sources
said that with the start of the
South Vietnamese thrust into
Laos, the leaders of the Studies
and Observation Group, were
told that the Administration
did not want to risk the em-
barrassment that would result
from the capture of soldiers on
an intelligence mission in Laos,
even. thouggh, strictly peaking,
they would not have been in-
volved in combat. .
`Still Has Some Missions'
After the South Vietnamese
pulled out of Laos, the group,~
which has headquarters in Sai-I'l
circulated a memorandum I
saying that it planned to_ re-
sume its trail-watching activi-
ties. When the memorandum
reached Washington, the group
was told that the watching of
trails would be carried out ex-J
elusively by the South Viet-'
namese.
"While the group's teams;1
are under specific orders not to
get involved in fighting," oneil
officer said, "their job is to!,J
move in and out undetected.'
There are times when they',l
have been discovered and have :1
had to exchange fire with. the.
enemy as helicopters came in
to take them out"
The Studies and observation;
Group, it' was reported, is not'
being disbanded at this point.
"It still has some missions," an!
official said.
He added that the group
could still be called upon to
stage rescue attempts while
American prisoners remain in
Southeast Asia. He refused to
discuss any other missions.
without the participation of
C.I.A.
Although the size of the
trail-watching teams varied, a
typical unit consisted of nine
men-three Americans and six Vietnamese or Montagnard
tribesmen. At the height df this
activity, there were as many
as 30 teams assigned to the
Laos mission, but usually no
more than two or three would
be operating at any one time.
The missions were said to have
lasted from several hours to
several days.
Information was sent by
radio to a special aircraft fly-
ing along the border for relay
to Air Force units and intelli-
gence centers in South Viet-
nam.
GIVE A KID A CAMP.
VIA FRESH AIR FUND.
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 E 5876 .. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - Extensions of Remarks June 1-i, 1971
Our world is made up of Individuals, and
.I think that in the individual is where any
kind of a change or solution must start. it
can't stop there, though, because it must
eventually reach the top. For example, if a
person is happy he won't mind separating his
garbage for recycling, giving away some of
his food or money, thinking of the other
party before he demands more rights or
throws a bomb. If he is happy he will have
a concern for other people. If everyone did
his Individual part in helping to solve such
major problems, and took down just one
brick that wall would be gone in no time.
That is a lot of if's. How can. a person be
happy so he will want to do his part? As
I've already said, happiness :means different
things to different people, but a full stom-
ach, a roof over one's head, and a feeling
of acceptance and security among one's peers
usually helps. For those of us who are lucky
enough to have these things already, happi-
ness should be helping others to find them,
also. Happiness Is contagious, and even if
you can't give a person what he needs most,
a smile or a hello can sometimes mean just
as much. Then maybe he will pass that smile
on to another person.
Sometimes I have to stop to think, and
assure myself that we, the people of this
planet, are not going backwards-or be-
coming more violent, egotistical, and antag-
onistic. I always manage to convince my-
self that we aren't although sometimes it ap-
pears that way because it's always the nega-
tive and not the positive things that we hear
about. The number of people who truly care
about other people is growing, and man is
beginning to spread his concern over a wider
circle of humanity. We usually care about
our family and friends and we want them to
be happy, but as the years go by there are
more and more of us who care about the
people In our city, state, county, and world
as individuals. By caring, I mean wanting
each person to be happy and secure and,
wanting this bad enough to do something
about it. If each inhabitant of this earth
cared about the rest of mankind as indi-
viduals our brick wall would disappear, and
I hope that We can destroy it before it crushes
us.
I'd just like to see everyone here really
happy and able to show it. Sometime-try
saying HI to someone you don't know-take
off the mask for awhile-really feel the
smile you are giving everyone-forget your
problems--make someone else happy-and if
you can't do that at least you can be happy.
Well, I know what I can do to make every-
one happy noun-that Is to end this speech
so that we can all get out of this wind. Have
a happy day tomorrowl and make it happy
for someone else too. The world is only what
we make it-so let's make it happy!
ANNIVERSARY CONGRATULATIONS
TO FATHER WALSH
HON. PETER W. RODINO, JR.
OF NEW JERSEY
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, June 15, 1971
Mr. RODINO. Mr. Speaker, congratu-
lations are in order for Father Gerald
W. Walsh who celebrated the 25th an-
niversary of his ordination to the Holy
Priesthood on June 1, 1971. Father Walsh
returned to St. Mary's Church in Nutley,
N.J. where he had spent his early priest-
hood to perform a special mass with St.
Mary's pastor, Msgr. John J. Feeley.
Father Walsh is an ardent contributor
to both his parish and his community.
His humane spirit pervades all who know
him. Let me offer my warmest thanks for
his devoted service and wish him con-
tinued personal fulfillment in the future.
THAIS "VOLUNTEERS" IN LAOS
HON. JEROME R. WALDIE
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, June 15, 1971
Mr. WALDIE. Mr. Speaker, I would
like to include in the REcoan a second
article by Tammy Arbuckle on his recent
findings in Southeast Asia which ap-
peared June 7th in the Washington
Evening Star.
I believe it sheds further light on the
:military interests and activities of the
Thai Army in Laos and the correspond-
ing role of the United States.
The article follows:
THAIS IN LAOS IDENTIFIED AS REGULARS
(By Tammy Arbuckle)
VIENTIANE, LAos.-Despite official state-
iments that the That forces serving in Laos
are volunteers wtihout official sanction from
the Bangkok government, informed sources
:here say they are regular That army troops.
The sources said the troops sent here keep
their Thai army rank and salary as well as
the salary paid by the Americans.
Some That units come here in a group, said
the sources, adding that Thailand's 940th
Battalion presently Is garrisoned on Hill 1683
west of Ban Na on the southwest rim of
the Plain of Jars in northern Laos.
The Thais are sent to Laos on temporary
detachment for six months or a year, the
sources said. There are cases where units are
formed from Thais of different units who
have volunteered for certain duties in Laos,
the sources said. However, these units re-
main part of the That army on loan to the
J.S. Ce~trw7 teliigence Agency, the Sources
The only voluntary aspect of their duty is
that That soldiers are anxious for assignment
to Laos because of the financial benefits.
Officials of the United States and Thailand
governments insist the Thai troops in Laos,
numbering at least 3,200. are volunteers.
ThE d officials, in particular, claim the troops
have no official sanction from Bangkok.
(Even the number of troops is in dispute.
As a result of U.S. Senate inquiries into the
operation, the figure of 4,800 troops presently
Is given in Washington as the number of
Thai troops on duty in Laos.)
The Lao military attributes the official Thai
position to corruption. They say only certain
members of the Thai government are pocket-
ing payments from the United States, so the
entire Thai cabinet may not be informed
of the entire U.S. arrangements for Thais to
fight in Laos.
That troops have been fighting in Laos
s'mce late 1964. The first Thai unit in Laos
was a battery of 155mm howitzers based near
Ran Khay village in the Plain of Jars.
Thai officers and men then were sent sepa-
rately to guerilla units run by the CIA.
On Feb. 1, 1967, a reporter met one of
these Thais at NAM Bac, Lao fortress 40
miles southwest at Dien Bien Phu. The Thal
said he was a captain In the Thai army and
came from Bangkok.
An American in civilian clothes was com-
manding his unit and was responsible for
payment, he said.
There were at least 20 Thais with the cap-
tain at Nam sac and Site 217.
On June 25, 1969, the Thal Artillery unit
(which remained in the same 11-we for five
years while men were rotated) was overrun
when North Vietnamese tanks ? coke through
the neutralist Lao troops.
Following this attack, in v itch at least
30 Thais were killed, Bangko;_ Insisted on
having Thai troops protect u o Thai gun-
ners. Thal gunners also were at to Long
Cheng, further south, but thi: t-me several
hundred-some sources say 800 -flat infan-
trymen were sent to protect t' ,e artillery.
Part of these units now are a+. Fire Base
Zebra northeast of Long Cheng.
Recently That troops have . ,r-'ed on the
Bolovens Plateau in southern Li_0S and on
operations against Route Sec. n, the main
Hanoi resupply route to its tro='R. In north-
ern Laos.
All troops under American ci.ntrol who
need Medical help are sent to l;iailand di-
rectly, American officials say, f ? :rhals have
no worries if they are sick or v a.nded.
The Communist Lao radio ci ants over 300
Thais have been killed in actloi iii Laos, but
American officials say it's less t uaa 200.
The Thai role, according to 1 S officials is
to make up for heavy losses an olig the Meo
tribesmen of Gen. Vang Pao, v io have been
fighting since 1960 against thr north Viet-
namese, suffering In the last th.;:e years over
8,000 killed in action.
The Lao army claims it's in der strength
and unable to substantially h lp Vang Pao
because it's spread the length of Laos, fac-
ing the enemy. This claim, ho.;e,.er, is sus-
pect. Hundreds of unemployee young men
roam around Vientiane in I iotorbikes.
When Gen. Koupraisith Abhay, Ii., Vientiane
military boss, tried to conscr ,t them, he
found they are the sons of intuential Lao-
tians who protested conscriptfo i and forced
Kouprasith to cease his activitie
Also, several thousand Lao ti clops are not
gainfully employed but act as bodyguards,
chauffeurs, office personnel or are building
new villas for Lao officers.
Despite all this, It may be s, id that Laos
still is woefully short of mane fiver as well
as good field officers and some litary dis-
cipline. Therefore, Lao needs l ,lg) from its
ethnic neighbors, the Thais.
The Lao however, don't want their neigh-
bors in the western provinces f Champas-
sac and Sayaboury, which the Thais covet
nor in Mekong River towns wt ?r,~ the Thai
propensity for the spoils of wa niay match
that of Saigon troops in Camt odia. There-
fore, they are in the mountain: o northern
Laos where the Thais can do th most fight-
ing and the least mischief.
HORTON PRAISES MRS DONALD
LOETZER FOR HER 3.t'FIRMA-
TION OF AMERICA
HON. FRANK HOR7 CAN
OF NEW YORK
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESIt TATIVES
Tuesday, June 15, 1,, 11~
Mr. HORTON. Mr. Speal e):, during
these times of protest by o,r Nation's
youth, the very philosophies -..p;)n which
this country was establishes Pre being
questioned. At times, ant - imerican
sentiments and acts seem to ,-?vershadow
positive feelings for this count ry and our
leader's goals.
There is little doubt that 1'-e must do
what we can to foster respc t for and
understanding of this coun..ry among
people of all ages, especially rniong our
youth.
Concerned about the desti:4 of this
country and about the young ='e'ple who
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 Approved
June 15, 1971 CONGRESSIONAL
tively with the common problems of mod-
ern society as reflected by the soldier of
today. :I believe the young people of our
country are looking for responsibility, chal-
lenge, fulfillment, job satisfaction and ad-
venture. I believe they are searching for pur-
pose and direction as well. The Army can
satisfy these asp ations.
We are acutely ware that a few of our
people have not live up to the high stand-
ards of military lead ship, The military is
a hard, tough, and d anding profession.
So are our standards. WeNeannot afford .. .
nor will we tolerate . . anything less than
the highest personal and pr essional stand-
ards. In this respect, the erican people
must not be hasty to judge. ere are too
many capable ... dedicated . . nd honor-
able men in the military to allo the acts
of a few to degrade their standaVs and
diminish their pride. \
Despite the occasional departures rom
our norms, the Army's performance IN
not be defended. The Army has done what't
well . in Vietnam and elsewhere. The
record is aproud one.
Nowhere has this been better demon-
strated than in Vietnam, where the Army
has fought a difficult, complex war-taking
fire at home as well as on the battlefield.
We have done essentially what we were
asked to do-prevent a communist takeover
In the South. I am proud of the job that
the Army has done.
The record of the Army goes beyond Viet-
nam. Although Vietnam has grabbed the
lion's share of headlines, the Army has also
performed well In other areas of the world.
Along the DMZ in Korea and on the
Czechoslovakian border where one incident
could ignite another war.
The Dominican Republic where a com-
munist takeover in a smoldering civil war
was thwarted.
The buildup In Florida during the Cuban
missile crisis where land power and the
capability to project it on a hostile shore
aided in cooling the first nuclear confronta-
tion.
And the reinforcement of Berlin with a
battle group from West Germany demon-
strating to the Soviets that we were serious
in our commitment to keep land lines of
communication open to that city.
This is the record of an excellent organiza-
tion of dedicated men who have performed
admirably in a difficult role-a role that has
been widely misunderstood, frequently mis-
interpreted, and occasionally misrepresented.
Despite this proud record, the Army by
serves. If the military continues to rec ive
indiscriminate abuse ... if It I. not 4ro-
vided adequate resources . . . and If it not
supported as an essential and res table
profession, we can hardly expect to/attract
young Americans to serve in the umbers
and quality required. And, the con quences
for our Nation's security will b ominous
I urge- you, then, to look at s critically
but with understanding. The rmy regards
constructive criticism as a pos ivecontribu-
tion to its forward progress At the same
time, its success is continue tin large part
on public understanding w ich is balanced,
At the beginning, I m ntioned that the
members of your profess on and mine were
joined in many commo purposes and as-
pirations, essentially inted toward the
well-being and progre s of the Nation we
love. We in the Army ill continue to dedi-
cate ourselves to that/end. I would hope, in
your role, that you w old assist us in obtain-
ing the public un rstanding and funda-
mental support which are essential if we are
to succeed.
RECORD - Extensions of Remarks E 5875
HON. DON H. CLAUSEN
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, June 15, 1971
Mr. DON H. CLAUSEN. Mr. Speaker,
recently it was my personal privilege to
participate in a graduation ceremony at
Ukiah High School in my First Congres-
sional District of California.
One of the principal speakers of the
evening was a lovely and talented young
lady, Janet Broaddus, daughter of one
of our highly respected judges of the su-
perior court of Mendocino County-
Judge Broaddus.
As I listened to the message being de
parents and friends, I kept saying to y-
self, "This girl is really on target.'; he
ing 1 pressfion on me and pr pted me
to res nd following her spe h, by sug-
gesting We have too man people that
are agai t everything-- at we need
are more p'ple who arep r something."
I believe tha intellig ce and righteous-
ness cannot soly rob] s without love and
happiness and as I ok around me I see
millions of problem large and small--with
millions of solutio all intricately worked
out. But all the ligence, power. and
money in the wo d are ever going to solve
anything, if we are all truggling against
each other.
Janet's el went works d articulate
delivery in de a profound i ression on
all who ere in attendance. want to
share th se words with my toll goes in
the Co ress and also record th ger-
mane ly in our official documen the
CONG ESSIONAL RECORD, so that otkers
who are about to assume expanding
leadership roles as, together, we meet the
challenges of change.
The speech follows:
HAVE A HAPPY DAY
(By Janet Broaddus)
Dr. Coryell; Congressman Clausen, Parents,
Ladies and Gentleman, Fellow Graduates,,
and members of the band: This is a happy
time of year. Everyone Is out of school, the
beautiful weather has finally arrived, and,
the class of '71 is on Its way to new ad-
ventures. Since everyone should be happy, ].
wanted to speak on a topic that is different,
refreshing, and happy. I just couldn't sit my..
self down at my desk in a stuffy room and
write a speech about the depressing prob-?
]erns of society, social technology in. the
seventies, the generation gap, or how the
class of '71 plans to save the world. These
are all typical topics for a graduation speech,
but I wanted to go outside, sit in the warm
sun under the bright, blue sky and write
about something happy-something that is
not depressing. I thought about it and asked
myself, "What is happier than happiness?",
so I decided to speak tonight aboul, hap.,
piness. It is not a typical subject to a speech
at graduation, but it seems appropriate.
First of all, what is happiness? Webster de..
scribes It as "good luck, prosperity, a state of
well-being". Charles Schultz says that "hap-
piness is a security blanket", "happiness -is
having a friend", "happiness is a warm
puppy", and on and n. A dictionary can
describe the word, b t there is more to it
than that. Charlie Crown and his friends
can describe the eling, because happiness
is in everything, verywhere, and it is what-
ever you want to be, or whatever you make
it to be. To e happiness is a way of show-
ing a freed and of expressing a love for
the world nd its people. It is a feeling that
can keep a from worrying needlessly. Hap-
piness a feeling that everyone should be
able t experience all the time, and not just
whey they have a stroke of good luck.
of our future which cannot be ignored. It is
depressing to know that there are millions of
starving people in our world, to see the pov-
erty and the slums only a couple miles from
the White House In Washington, D.C., to see
all the prejudice and racial riots, to watch
our rnagnificient wilderness become covered
with concrete or polluted with deadly chemi-
cals. It doesn't make anyone happy to know
that there- is still a war in Viet Nam or to
open the morning paper to a headline read-
ing, "The 24th Body Found."
Why am I talking about happiness when
all these problems still exist in the world?
Because I believe that intelligence and right-
eousness cannot solve probeems without love
and happiness. These problems have all
existed since man was created and we are
still struggling to solve them. The brick wall
is not being knocked down. It is slowly be-
ing chipped at, but new bricks are being
laid faster than they can be destroyed. How
much longer will they exist? How much
longer can we exist with them? As I look
around me I see millions of problems-
large and small-with millions of solutions-
all intricately worked out. But all the Intelli-
gence, power, and money in the world are
never going to solve anything, if we are all
struggling against each other. There is too
much bitterness in our world-politicians
and 'voters, parents and children, educators
and students are all slowly pulling at each
other as it each were a section of a rubber
band in the hands of a very nervous person.
Everyone fights for what he believes is
right, and everyone wants more rights than
on problem and Then the purpose usually
cha es to that of who is able to have his
solut n accepted--and the battle goes on
while a problem remains. The emphasis
today, it just in our country but all over
the worl is too much on nationalism In-
tead of in'ljvidualism. If it were possible
for governmel>,ts to consider the happiness of
the individualE involved before the pride of
the country, thace of a political party, or
what is considers to be "right" for the na-
tion, the world, or' the people, I think there
would be a lot of uick changes. But the
way society and gov nment are structured
this is not very easy. or example, in order
for everyone at the Part eace Talks to have
all those pressures lifts from their shoul-
ders there would have to e a revolution in
the minds of every sing] person on this
earth at exactly the same oment. I'd say
that's just a little bit impos bee, but then
again nothing worthwhile is e y to accom-
If we can't start at the top and ork down,
we can start at the bottom and rk up--
start with the individual and rk up
through the larger organizations of It an-
ity. So far I've been talking about big prob-
lems and big governments, but the same is
true down the line through state govern-
ments, local governments, community orga-
nizations, families, all the way to the rela-
tionship of two people meeting on the street.
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