August 10, 1959
US-NORTH VIETNAM: Washington – The US State Department here in the nation’s capital has released a statement accusing the communists of creating a dangerous situation in Laos that could be part of a broader plan by Moscow. The State Department’s allegations that communist North Vietnam is interfering in Laos, made amid preparations for an exchange of visits between US President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev is likely to lead to unexpected developments and could highlight the need to speed up the meeting between the leaders of the two world powers in order to solve major international problems. According to reports from a senior US diplomat in Vientiane, there has been considerable fighting since mid-July. Laotian royal troops have regained several positions, but communications are difficult in the mountainous and forested areas which provide cover for guerrillas. The State Department denied that the USA is to set up bases in Laos or that it has troops in the country. «The threat against Laos is clearly a communist one and nothing more. The communists appear determined to maintain a state of tension in South Asia.»
