CAMBODIA " BALANCE OF MENACES " A CHUBBY LITTLE MAN IN A 
DARK BLUE SUIT STRODE INTO THE SPORTS STADIUM OF THE STEAMY 
CAMBODIAN CAPITAL OF PNOMPENH (PRONOUNCED NOM-PEN) LAST WEEK, MOUNTED THE PLATFORM, 
AND BEGAN HARANGUING THE ASSEMBLED CROWD IN A WHINY, HIGH-PITCHED VOICE 
. THE SPEAKER WAS PRINCE NORODOM SIHANOUK, NEUTRALIST, MERCURIAL RULER OF 
CAMBODIA, AND HE HAD CALLED THE RALLY TO ANNOUNCE IN EFFECT 
THAT THE U.S . WAS WORKING TO UNDERMINE HIS REGIME . 
TURNING THEATRICALLY TO THE THRONG, SIHANOUK ASKED WHETHER THE NATIONAL HONOR 
DID NOT DEMAND THAT CAMBODIA REJECT ANY FUTURE HELP FROM THE 
AMERICANS . WHEN HIS SUBJECTS ROARED OBEDIENT APPROVAL, THE PRINCE ORDERED 
: " SO BE IT . " SIHANOUK MIGHT CHANGE HIS 
MIND AGAIN, AS HE HAS BEFORE . IN A FORMAL NOTE 
TO WASHINGTON, HE CALLED FOR A HALT TO ALL AMERICAN ECONOMIC 
AND MILITARY AID, WHICH IN THE PAST EIGHT YEARS HAS AMOUNTED 
TO $366 MILLION . AND SO THE U.S . ALREADY STRIVING 
TO SAVE WAR-TORN SOUTH VIET NAM AND " NEUTRAL " BUT 
TOTTERING LAOS FROM THE REDS FACED ANOTHER MESS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA 
. SHAKEN NEIGHBOR . WHAT WAS AILING THE PRINCE ? A 
SUSPICIOUS, EMOTIONAL, FRENCH-EDUCATED DESCENDANT OF CAMBODIA'S MEDIEVAL KHMER KINGS, HE ONCE 
PERFORMED SLAPSTICK PARTS IN MOVIES (WHICH HE PRODUCED HIMSELF) AND HAS 
OFTEN PLAYED SLAPSTICK POLITICS . FRIENDS SERIOUSLY REPORTED LAST WEEK THAT 
TWO CONTRIBUTING REASONS FOR SIHANOUK'S BAD MOOD MIGHT BE THAT 1) 
HE HAD BEEN CRASH-DIETING TO LOSE 15 LBS . IN TEN 
DAYS, AND 2) THE U.S . TRANSFERRED A FORMER MILITARY ADVISORY 
CHIEF WITH WHOM THE PRINCE ENJOYED PLAYING VOLLEYBALL . THE PRINCE 
HIMSELF ACCUSED THE U.S . OF SUPPORTING A CLANDESTINE RADIO, ON 
SOUTH VIET NAM SOIL, RUN BY THE PRINCE'S POLITICAL OPPOSITION (THE 
U.S . DENIED THE CHARGE) . BUT, ABOVE ALL, THE PRINCE 
TALKS OF THE " INEVITABILITY " OF COMMUNIST CHINA'S TAKEOVER OF 
SOUTHEAST ASIA, HENCE MAY BE TRYING TO SAVE HIMSELF BY COZYING 
UP TO THE RED DRAGON . WHAT PRECIPITATED HIS LATEST PERFORMANCE 
COULD WELL HAVE BEEN THE OVERTHROW AND ASSASSINATION OF HIS LATE 
NEIGHBOR, SOUTH VIET NAM'S NGO DINH DIEM . ALTHOUGH SIHANOUK AND 
DIEM WERE BITTER ENEMIES, THE PRINCE WAS SHAKEN BY DIEM'S DEATH 
AND ATTRIBUTED IT TO THE CUTOFF OF DIEM'S AMERICAN AID . 
POSSIBLY DETERMINED NEVER TO GET HIMSELF ON THE SAME VULNERABLE SPOT, 
SIHANOUK MOVED QUICKLY TO LESSEN HIS DEPENDENCE ON THE U.S . 
OPENING TO THE SEINE . FOR ALL HIS ECCENTRIC BEHAVIOR, SIHANOUK 
HAS ALSO SOMETIMES PROVED HIMSELF A SHREWD POLITICIAN . SINCE INDEPENDENCE 
FROM FRANCE TEN YEARS AGO, HE HAS JAILED HOME-GROWN COMMUNISTS AND 
WOOED HIS RED-HOT YOUNG LEFTIST CRITICS INTO THE GOVERNMENT WHILE AT 
THE SAME TIME MAINTAINING WARM RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA AND RED CHINA 
. SIHANOUK LAST WEEK PERFORMED ANOTHER TYPICALLY SLIPPERY GYRATION . INSTEAD 
OF RUSHING RIGHT INTO PEKING'S ARMS, HE TURNED TO HIS OLD 
COLONIAL TUTOR, FRANCE, AND ASKED HER TO HELP REPLACE U.S . 
AID . SAID THE PRINCE : " FOR OUR COUNTRY, LIBERATED 
FROM THE U.S . AND WHICH THE COMMUNIST POWERS DO NOT 
WISH TO TAKE IN CHARGE, IT COULD BE THE HOUR OF 
FRANCE . " THE INVITATION WAS ANOTHER POTENTIAL OPENING FOR CHARLES 
DE GAULLE, WHO WANTS TO WHEEL AND DEAL IN THE AREA 
OF FRANCE'S OLD INDO-CHINA EMPIRE (HE KEEPS SUGGESTING A " NEUTRALIZED 
" VIET NAM, HINTED LAST WEEK THAT FRANCE MAY ESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC 
RELATIONS WITH COMMUNIST NORTH VIET NAM) . BUT WHETHER PARIS WILL 
FILL THE GAP TO BE LEFT BY THE ELIMINATION OF A 
$30 MILLION ANNUAL U.S . DOLE REMAINS TO BE SEEN . 
FRANCE HAS BEEN SUPPLYING CAMBODIA ONLY ONE TENTH THE U.S.'S CONTRIBUTION, 
MOSTLY TO MAINTAIN A 300-MAN FORCE TRAINING THE CAMBODIAN ARMY . 
AT WEEK'S END THE PRINCE CLIMAXED HIS PERPLEXING THEATRICS BY CALLING 
IN THE PRESS CORPS, DELIVERING A MEANDERING MONOLOGUE INTERSPERSED WITH GIGGLES 
. PROUDLY, HE ANNOUNCED THAT RED CHINA HAD OFFERED HIM MILITARY 
SUPPORT . " I THINK I HAVE ACHIEVED A BALANCE OF 
MENACES, " HE SAID . " THE MENACE OF THE IMPERIALISTS 
AND THEIR LACKEYS IS COUNTERBALANCED BY THE MENACE OF COMMUNIST CHINA, 
OUR NO . 1 FRIEND . " BUT HE INDICATED THAT 
HE WOULD HAVE ONLY FOUR CHINESE CIVILIAN ADVISERS AND NO CHINESE 
MILITARY ADVISERS : " EVERYWHERE IN OUR ARMY THERE WILL BE 
ONLY ONE POWER HELPING US FRANCE . " ADDED THE PRINCE 
: " I DO NOT LIKE TO BE A SATELLITE . 
I LIKE TO BE FREE . " SERVING CHAMPAGNE ALL AROUND, 
HE URGED THE CORRESPONDENTS TO DRINK UP BECAUSE (JOKINGLY REFERRING TO 
IMPENDING AUSTERITY) " IN A FEW MONTHS I WON'T BE ABLE 
TO OFFER CHAMPAGNE . 