Word: diplomatic
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1960-1969
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Prince Sihanouk. Souvanna is a man so enigmatic that he persistently refuses to define what he means by his doctrine of "neutrality in neutralism," on the ground that Laotians dislike precision. There is Prince Boun Oum, recognized as Premier by the U.S., but frankly described by one Western diplomat as "a sort of Buddhist Falstaff." One of Boun Oum's supporters called him "the most representative personality of the kingdom"-by which was meant that he is excessively fond of drinking and wenching. In fact, Boun Oum owes his position to the strong man on the Western side-General...
...villa at Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat on the French Riviera. By the time he took the throne in 1959, after the old King died at 74, Savang Vatthana seemed to have sunk into a torpor that could not be shaken by the fast-paced world around him. One Western diplomat, after a session with the King, said it was "like listening to a long Oriental movie dubbed in French." He is a fan of Margot Fonteyn and Italian opera, and at one recent soiree, after a performance of native dances, he gathered his French and diplomat guests in stuffed armchairs...
...including as many important families as possible, as well as some Pathet Lao, at least in minor positions. To avoid argument over whether Souvanna or Boun Oum is the "legitimate" Premier, both sides would deal through King Savang Vatthana. Any solution is likely to be makeshift. Says one U.S. diplomat: "Laos is going to be a problem throughout our lifetime and longer." But for Laos to be declared neutral is not necessarily an inevitable step toward a Communist takeover. The Pathet Lao, still a tiny minority, are generally disliked in the areas they control. Within the past year...
...retaliation at places of our choosing" in response to lesser Communist attacks that could be better met by conventional forces or even guerrilla warfare (see box). The U.S.'s ability to wage all-out nuclear war and yet do little against border incursions has come to hamper the diplomat as well as the general. Last week Secretary of State Dean Rusk was revealed as the author of a memo to Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, advocating the new doctrine...
...moody leftist who set off the civil war last August by mutinying with his battalion of paratroopers. Souvanna hailed the "fusion" of Kong Le's soldiers and the Pathet Lao. But in private, the Communists admitted that they were as puzzled as has been many a Western diplomat by Souvanna's fuzzy political ideas. "A very complicated man," said a Soviet journalist. "He says one thing one day and something entirely different the next...