LAOS EVIL SPIRITS ON THE PLAIN JUST A YEAR AFTER THE GENEVA 
AGREEMENT CONSOLIDATED LAOS' THREE WARRING FACTIONS INTO A SINGLE GOVERNMENT, THE 
PRECARIOUS ARRANGEMENT IS FALLING APART . REASON : THE COMMUNISTS ARE 
SIMPLY IGNORING THE TRUCE, AS WELL AS THEIR LONGTIME ALLIANCE WITH 
NEUTRALIST PREMIER SOUVANNA PHOUMA, AND ARE SEEKING TO WREST CONTROL OF 
THE VITAL PLAIN OF JARS IN CENTRAL LAOS FROM NEUTRALIST TROOPS 
. THOUGH AT FIRST SUSPICIOUS OF THE NEUTRALIST REGIME, RIGHTIST GENERAL 
PHOUMI NOSAVAN SENT FOUR BATTALIONS TO HELP IT . DESPITE SUCH 
ASSISTANCE, THE NEUTRALIST FORCES UNDER GENERAL KONG LE HAVE ONLY ONE 
STRATEGIC POSITION LEFT ON THE PLAIN PHOU THENENG MOUNTAIN AND ITS 
FOOTHILLS . LAST WEEK THE COMMUNIST PATHET LAO OPENED A HEAVY 
ARTILLERY BARRAGE ON KONG LE'S POSITION . " AT FIRST, THE 
COMMUNISTS WERE VERY GOOD TO US AND GAVE US SUPPLIES, " 
SAYS THE LITTLE GENERAL . " BUT NOW I KNOW THE 
PATHET LAO ARE NOT FIGHTING FOR LAOS BUT FOR COMMUNISM . 
WE DO NOT WANT LAOS TO BE CONTROLLED BY ANYONE, NOT 
THE COMMUNISTS OR THE AMERICANS . " OLD BATTLE SCAR . 
IN HIS OLIVE-DRAB HEADQUARTERS TENT ON THE PLAIN OF JARS, WEARING 
A T SHIRT, A PAIR OF LEVI'S AND RUBBER BATH SHOES, 
KONG LE PERCHES ON A STOOL MOROSELY STUDYING A MAP BENEATH 
THE LIGHT OF A SWAYING HURRICANE LAMP . THE PICTURE IS 
DISCOURAGING : THE PATHET LAO ARE ADVANCING IN THE VANG VIENG 
AREA, 13 NEUTRALIST SOLDIERS ARE MISSING AFTER AN ACTION AT BAN 
BOUA, A 100-TRUCK RED SUPPLY CONVOY FROM NORTH VIET NAM ARRIVED 
AT THE PATHET LAO HEADQUARTERS AT KHANG KHAY . AT SUCH 
NEWS, KONG LE IS APT TO WINCE, RUB AN OLD BATTLE 
SCAR ON HIS FOREHEAD AND SAY : " MY HEAD HURTS 
. " THEN HE USUALLY TAKES SOME PILLS, AND A BODYGUARD 
TREATS HIS SHOULDER WITH VICKS OINTMENT . WHILE THE NEUTRALISTS ARE 
INCREASINGLY " NEUTRAL " AGAINST THE REDS, PREMIER SOUVANNA PHOUMA CONTINUES 
TO INSIST ON A DEFENSIVE WAR, IS RELUCTANT TO TAKE THE 
INITIATIVE . " WHAT CAN I DO ? " MUSES KONG 
LE DESPONDENTLY . " THE PREMIER IS ALWAYS TELLING ME I 
MUST NOT ATTACK . IT IS VERY DIFFICULT . " LOCKED 
BRIEFCASES . KONG LE IS A MAGNET FOR SOME OF THE 
MOST IDEALISTIC MEN IN LAOS . SHORT (5 FT . 1 
IN., 115 LBS.), QUIET AND GOOD-NATURED, HE NEITHER DRINKS, SMOKES NOR 
GAMBLES AND IS FANATIC ABOUT HEALTH, HONESTY AND CLEANLINESS . HE 
SHARES COMMON LAOTIAN SUPERSTITIONS, SUCH AS WEARING A " MAGIC " 
RING AND A WRIST AMULET TO PLACATE THE PHI (SPIRITS, EVIL 
OR OTHERWISE) . WITHOUT PERSONAL AMBITION, KONG LE SAYS THAT " 
WHEN LAOS IS FREE, " HE WILL GO HOME TO HIS 
VILLAGE AND BECOME A FARMER . IN THE FIELD, HE SHARES 
HIS TENT WITH THREE OFFICERS AND FOUR ENLISTED MEN . THEY 
MESS TOGETHER AROUND A CAMPFIRE, SING SAD LAOTIAN SONGS OR DANCE 
THE GRACEFUL LAMVONG, WHILE KONG LE, HOLDING TWO PET HAMSTERS IN 
HIS LAP, LOOKS ON . HIS POSSESSIONS ARE FEW : A 
DESK, A FOOTLOCKER, A TRANSISTOR RADIO (GIFT FROM THE U.S . 
AMBASSADOR), AND FIVE LOCKED BRIEFCASES, WHICH HE KEEPS UNDER HIS BUNK 
. OCCASIONALLY HE UNLOCKS ONE TO TAKE OUT NOT CONFIDENTIAL PAPERS 
BUT A HANDKERCHIEF AND A PAIR OF SOCKS, AND THEN CAREFULLY 
RELOCKS IT . WHILE ADMITTING HIS LEADERSHIP QUALITIES, WESTERN OBSERVERS ARE 
OFTEN DEPRESSED BY KONG LE'S LAOTIAN INDIFFERENCE TO DISCIPLINE AND LOGISTICS 
. ALTHOUGH SUPPLIES ARE AIRLIFTED TO THE NEUTRALISTS BY FIVE U.S.-LOANED 
C-46S FROM VIENTIANE, TRUCKS AND JEEPS BREAK DOWN FOR LACK OF 
PARTS . AMMUNITION DUMPS ARE LEFT UNGUARDED AND OPEN TO WEATHER 
. NEUTRALIST OFFICERS TALK TO EACH OTHER " IN THE CLEAR 
" ON FIELD RADIOS, LEAVE MARKED MAPS LYING AROUND, AND DRIVE 
AT NIGHT WITH HEADLIGHTS BLAZING . THE SUPPLY SYSTEM IS SO 
HAPHAZARD THAT OFTEN ONE UNIT OVERFLOWS WITH RICE RATIONS BUT LACKS 
BULLETS, WHILE ANOTHER IS LOADED WITH MUNITIONS BUT STARVES . NONE 
OF THE NEUTRALIST TROOPS HAVE BEEN PAID IN ALMOST A YEAR 
. SAYS KONG LE : / MY MEN ARE TIRED, BUT 
THEIR MORALE IS HIGH, AND THEY STILL HAVE THE WILL TO 
FIGHT . " LONG SILENCE . THEY DEMONSTRATED THAT WILL, IN 
A LAOTIAN WAY, JUST TWO RIDGES BEYOND KONG LE'S HEADQUARTERS . 
OVER THE VELVETY LANDSCAPE AND THROUGH SOFT SUMMER RAIN ROLLED TWO 
TANKS AND AN ARMORED CAR CROWDED WITH NEUTRALIST SOLDIERS . THEIR 
OBJECTIVE WAS A PATHET LAO ARTILLERY EMPLACEMENT ON TOP OF A 
STEEP, CONICAL HILL . AS THE TANKS CHUGGED UP THE FIRST 
RISE, A HERD OF WILD PONIES STAMPEDED AWAY FROM THEM . 
ONE TANK AND THE ARMORED CAR SOON HALTED, BUT THE SECOND 
TANK LABORED UPWARD, FOLLOWED BY A SKIRMISH LINE OF SCRAMBLING SOLDIERS 
. MOMENTS LATER, THE PATHET LAO GUN FLASHED, AND THE TANK 
FIRED BACK . BOTH MISSED . IT SOON BECAME EVIDENT THAT 
THE COMMUNIST GUN COULD NOT BE DEPRESSED SUFFICIENTLY TO GET THE 
TANK IN ITS SIGHTS . EVEN SO, BOTH SIDES FIRED FUTILELY 
FOR TWO HOURS . THEN THE TANK RUMBLED AROUND A SIDE 
OF THE HILL, AND THE NEUTRALIST SOLDIERS VANISHED AMONG THE TREES 
. A LONG SILENCE FOLLOWED . THE PALE SUN SHONE THROUGH 
SHOWERS, AND A RAINBOW BRIEFLY APPEARED OVER THE PURPLE MOUNTAINS . 
TWO OF THE WILD PONIES RETURNED AND BEGAN GRAZING . THE 
BATTLE SIMPLY BLURRED INTO THE GENERAL DRIFT OF EVENTS IN LAOS 
. 