SOUTHEAST ASIA A LOSING PROPOSITION THE WEST'S MANEUVERS TO COUNTER THE DISINTEGRATION 
IN LAOS LAST WEEK WERE LARGELY DIPLOMATIC . IN LONDON, BRITISH 
FOREIGN SECRETARY LORD HOME CALLED ON RUSSIA CO-ADMINISTRATOR WITH BRITAIN OF 
THE GENEVA ACCORDS TO SIGN A JOINT APPEAL THAT THE FEUDING 
FORCES IN LAOS END THEIR FIGHTING . FEARFUL THAT SUCH PEACE 
TALK WOULD NUDGE ASIAN COMMUNIST REVOLUTIONARIES STILL CLOSER TO RIVAL RED 
CHINA AND ITS " HARD LINE, " RUSSIA REFUSED, UNLESS THE 
STATEMENT SPECIFICALLY BLAMED THE U.S . FOR UNDERMINING THE PEACE IN 
LAOS . BRITAIN VETOED THE SUGGESTION . PRESIDENT KENNEDY HUSTLED UNDER 
SECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS AVERELL HARRIMAN, WHO HAD HAMMERED 
OUT THE BASIC FORMAT FOR THE GENEVA AGREEMENT LAST SUMMER, TO 
MOSCOW TO URGE ON KHRUSHCHEV THE NEED FOR RUSSIAN INTERCESSION IN 
LAOS . " WE REGARD THE MAINTENANCE OF THE GENEVA ACCORDS 
AS ESSENTIAL TO THE SECURITY OF LAOS ITSELF, " SAID KENNEDY, 
" AND AS A TEST OF WHETHER IT IS POSSIBLE FOR 
AN ACCORD TO BE REACHED BETWEEN COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE SERIOUS DIFFERENCES 
. " IN MOSCOW, HARRIMAN WAS RECEIVED COOLLY ; ONLY A 
JUNIOR PROTOCOL OFFICER WAS AT THE AIRPORT TO MEET HIM . 
WHEN HE GOT TO THE KREMLIN, HE FOUND KHRUSHCHEV MORE THAN 
HAPPY TO GIVE VAGUE ENDORSEMENT OF THE GENEVA ACCORDS, BUT LESS 
THAN WILLING TO TAKE ANY CONCRETE ACTION TO STOP THE FIGHTING 
IN THE PLAIN OF JARS. THE ROAD BUILDERS . AS THE 
DIPLOMATS TALKED, THE PENTAGON WAS QUIETLY FLEXING ITS MUSCLES . UNITS 
OF THE U.S . SEVENTH FLEET BEGAN CRUISING IN THE SOUTH 
CHINA SEA, AND THOUGH THE MOVE HAD BEEN PLANNED FOR MONTHS, 
WASHINGTON PICKED LAST WEEK TO ANNOUNCE THAT TWO COMBAT-READY BATTLE GROUPS 
WOULD SOON MOVE INTO THAILAND TO TAKE PART IN NEXT MONTH'S 
FULL-SCALE SEATO BATTLE MANEUVERS . IT WAS REMINISCENT OF THE CRASH 
BUILDUP OF TROOP STRENGTH IN THAILAND JUST A YEAR AGO, WHEN 
THE LAST SERIOUS FLARE-UP IN LAOS TOOK PLACE . LEFT BEHIND 
WHEN THESE TROOPS WERE WITHDRAWN WERE ENOUGH TRUCKS, TANKS AND PERSONNEL 
CARRIERS TO EQUIP A THIRD BATTLE GROUP THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED 
IN THE EVENT OF EMERGENCY . THE PLAIN IS NAMED FOR 
THE SCORES OF LARGE, STONE BURIAL URNS DOTTING THE AREA, IN 
WHICH THE ANCESTRAL ASHES OF THE LAOTIAN PEOPLE WERE ONCE DEPOSITED 
. BOTH THE PATHET LAO AND THE NEUTRALISTS AVOID FIGHTING NEAR 
THE JARS, FOR LAOTIAN TRADITION HOLDS THAT THE PENALTY FOR DISTURBING 
THEM IS A VIOLENT AND FIERY RETRIBUTION FROM THE SPIRITS WITHIN 
. APART FROM THE COMBAT TROOPS, SOME 2,600 OTHER U.S . 
MILITARY PERSONNEL CHIEFLY ENGINEERS AND SIGNAL TROOPS ARE IN THAILAND . 
NEAR THE LAOTIAN BORDER, A U.S . ARMY CONSTRUCTION BATTALION IS 
NEARING COMPLETION OF AN ALLWEATHER JET AIRSTRIP . AT A MEETING 
WITH TOP U.S . AIDES IN BANGKOK, ADMIRAL HARRY D . 
FELT, COMMANDER OF ALL U.S . FORCES IN THE PACIFIC, DISCUSSED 
CONTINGENCY PLANS IN THE EVENT THAT THE PATHET LAO MOVES OFF 
THE PLAIN OF JARS INTO THE MEKONG RIVER VALLEY . THE 
U.S . IS NOT COMMITTED TO PUT TROOPS INTO LAOS, AND 
THE MILITARY IS NOT ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF FIGHTING THERE, 
FOR THE LACK OF AIRFIELDS, RAILROADS AND GOOD ROADS WOULD MAKE 
IT TOUGH TO SUSTAIN OPERATIONS . BUT IF THE PATHET LAO 
SHOWED AN INCLINATION TO SWEEP ALL THE WAY SOUTH, THE U.S 
. FORCES IN THAILAND MIGHT WELL HAVE TO MOVE ACROSS THE 
MEKONG AND OCCUPY THE LAOTIAN CAPITAL OF VIENTIANE AND OTHER STRATEGIC 
POINTS IN THE VALLEY . MEANWHILE IN LAOS ITSELF, A LULL 
HAD SETTLED OVER THE BATTLEFIELD . IN A FLYING VISIT TO 
THE PLAIN OF JARS, NEUTRALIST PREMIER SOUVANNA PHOUMA MANAGED TO ARRANGE 
A SHAKY CEASE-FIRE BETWEEN THE PATHET LAO AND KONG LE'S NEUTRALISTS 
. THOUGH SPORADIC ARTILLERY DUELS STILL POCKMARKED THE PLAIN, THERE WERE 
NO OUTRIGHT RED ATTACKS, AND THE NEUTRALISTS LOST NO NEW TERRITORY 
. BUT HOSTILITIES THREATENED TO ERUPT FROM ANOTHER QUARTER . AROUND 
THE PERIMETER OF THE PLAIN, RIGHT-WING GENERAL PHOUMI NOSAVAN WAS REINFORCING 
HIS POSITIONS, AND IN THE FOOTHILLS BEHIND THE PATHET LAO LINES, 
TOUGH, WELL-ARMED MEO TRIBESMEN, WHO HAVE NO LOVE FOR THE REDS, 
POSED A DANGEROUS THREAT TO COMMUNIST SUPPLY ROUTES FROM NORTH VIET 
NAM . IF LAOS SHOULD FALL TO THE REDS, NORTH VIET 
NAM'S HO CHI MINH TRAIL (SEE MAP), THE SUPPLY ROUTE WHICH 
CUTS THROUGH THE LAOTIAN THICKETS TO COMMUNIST VIET CONG GUERRILLAS IN 
SOUTH VIET NAM, WOULD OPEN UP, PERMITTING THE REDS TO POUR 
ARMS AND MEN INTO THAT EMBATTLED LAND . CONTROL OF LAOS' 
MEKONG RIVER VALLEY WOULD ALSO GIVE THE COMMUNISTS A HIGHWAY FOR 
SUBVERSION OF NEIGHBORING CAMBODIA AND THAILAND, WHICH IN TURN WOULD INCREASE 
RED PRESSURE ON BURMA AND MALAYA . FAIT ACCOMPLI . FOR 
THE MOMENT, THE REDS APPEARED CONTENT TO CONSOLIDATE THEIR NEW TERRITORIAL 
GAINS ON THE PLAIN OF JARS AND TO LET THE CRISIS 
COOL OF ITS OWN ACCORD . IF THEY MOVED OFF THE 
PLAIN, THEY WOULD SURELY MARCH RIGHT INTO A CIVIL WAR WITH 
PHOUMI'S RIGHTIST FORCES, THUS INVITING U.S . INTERVENTION, WHICH THEY WISHED 
TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS . DESPITE PROTESTS BY BOTH SOUVANNA 
AND THE U.S., THE PATHET LAO'S TERRITORIAL GRAB WAS A FAIT 
ACCOMPLI . THERE WERE THOSE IN THE U.S . WHO THOUGHT 
THE ONLY LONG-RANGE ANSWER TO THE LAOS PROBLEM WAS OUTRIGHT PARTITION 
. ALREADY A DE FACTO PARTITION OF LAOS EXISTED : THE 
NORTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY WAS FIRMLY CONTROLLED BY THE COMMUNISTS, 
AND THE RICE-RICH MEKONG RIVER VALLEY WAS IN THE HANDS OF 
THE RIGHTISTS . IT WAS NOT THE IDEAL SOLUTION FOR LAOS 
. BUT, AS ONE U.S . OFFICIAL SAID " THERE ARE 
NO GOOD SOLUTIONS IN LAOS . THERE NEVER WILL BE . 
LAOS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOSING PROPOSITION . / 