Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
ENCLOSURE
DRAFT
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
Subject: Plan for Military Intervention in Laos (C)
The Secretaries of State and Defense have reviewed again the circumstances under which military intervention in Laos might be undertaken, and the form of such action. Their conclusions are set forth below.
The Intervention Plan
It is the judgment of the two Secretaries that if the President decides that US forces should be employed in Laos, SEATO Plan Five, augmented with South Viet Nam and additional Thai forces, is the proper badic vehicle for the contemplated action. Along with the initial deployments coordinated action with South Vietnamese, Thai, and Lao forces would be taken to expand Royal Laos Government control over additional areas of Laos.
Circumstances of Initiation
1. The plan would be initiated upon resumption of obvious and determined Communist offensive actions above the scale of violation of the current cease fire.
2. Initiation of the plan should be considered if large scale enemy military strength and logistic build-up clearly indicates imminent resumption of hostilities.
3. The Royal Laotian Government would have appealed to SEATO for assistance under the Manila Pact of 1954.
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