ACTION September 22, 1975 MEMORANDUM FOR: THE ...
MEMORANDUM DECLASSIFIED A/ISS/IPS, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended February 27, 2009
THE WHITE
HOUSE
WASHINGTON
ACTION
MEMORANDUM FOR:
THE PRESIDENT September 22, 1975
FROM:
HENRY A . KISSINGER[BSinitialed]
SUBJECT:
Indochina Refugees in Thailand
Attached for your approval are (1) a Determination transferring $ 6 . 8 million of foreign assistance appropriations to the Department of State to finance the plan they proposed for the resettlement of Meo refugees in Thailand (Tab A), and (2) a memorandum f r o m me directing State, Defense and CIA to implement the plan (Tab B). The key points of the resettlement plan a r e : We will make available up to $10 million through Presidential Determinations to finance resettlement p r o g r a m s which will be c a r r i e d out by the United Nations High C o m m i s s i o n e r for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Royal Thai Government (RTG). Some of this money will a l s o be available for ethnic Lao refugees who are also presently in Thailand, s o m e of whom will be resettled in the U.S. and other third countries. The CIA, which has already provided goods for s h o r t - t e r m assistance, will stand by to provide interim help should the UNHCR program falter. Our Ambassador in Bangkok will make a special effort to insure that the Meo r e c e i v e all r e s o u r c e s allocated to them. There are 30,000 to 40,000 ethnic Meo refugees f r o m Laos now in Thailand who a r e in need of immediate relief a s s i s t a n c e . To date s o m e of these refugees have r e c e i v e d minimal amounts of aid f r o m the CIA with whom they have a long association, but m o s t a r e existing in deplorable conditions.
DECLASSIFIED A/ISS/IPS, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended February 27, 2009
All agencies agree that for political r e a s o n s , l o n g - t e r m U . S . assistance to the Meo and other Lao refugees should be channeled through the UNHCR/RTG p r o g r a m to the fullest extent p o s s i b l e . T o prevent further suffering on the part of the M e o , however, all agencies agree also that the CIA should continue to provide interim CIA funding up to a level of [textnotdeclassified] through D e c e m b e r 1975, when the UNHCR/RTG p r o g r a m is expected to be well underway. In order to c a r r y out the above plan you are asked to approve the transfer of up to an additional $ 6 . 8 million of foreign assistance appropriations to the Department of State. On August 5 you determined that up to $3 million of funds previously made available to the Department of State could be used to assist the Lao. This total of $ 9 . 8 million, with a supplement f r o m other countries amounting to $2.6 million, should c a r r y the p r o g r a m to D e c e m b e r 1976. While the UN High C o m m i s s i o n e r intends to make every effort to r e s o l v e the refugee p r o b l e m by that time, some continued international assistance will probably be n e c e s s a r y . There are some doubts about the effectiveness of the UNHCR/RTG p r o g r a m as it affects the M e o . The CIA has therefore requested that it be authorized to provide limited direct relief to the M e o in an e m e r g e n c y situation after D e c e m b e r 1975. This capability will be e x e r c i s e d only with the approval of our Ambassador in Bangkok. In v i e w of Thai sensitivities about the R e s e t t l e m e n t " of M e o in T h a i land, the p r o g r a m should probably not be designated as such. Rather, it will be termed " r e l i e f and assistance," which would last until the end of calendar year 1976. It is anticipated that at the end of this time those Meo who may decide to return to Laos to take their chance with the Provisional Government of National Union (PGNU) would have made such a decision, and that after that time the Thai would treat the remainder in the same fashion that they handle other tribespeople who have long been settled in Thailand. RECOMMENDATION; That you sign the Presidential Determination at Tab A transferring $6.8 million of foreign assistance appropriations to the State D e p a r t ment to finance this plan.
DECLASSIFIED A/ISS/IPS, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended February 27, 2009
That you approve my signing the m e m o r a n d u m at Tab B instructing State, Defense and CIA to implement this plan. Approve[GRFinitialed]
Disapprove
Max F r i e d e r s d o r f and OMB concur in both of these r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s .
THE WHITE
HOUSE
WASHINGTON
ACTION
MEMORANDUM FOR:
THE PRESIDENT September 22, 1975
FROM:
HENRY A . KISSINGER[BSinitialed]
SUBJECT:
Indochina Refugees in Thailand
Attached for your approval are (1) a Determination transferring $ 6 . 8 million of foreign assistance appropriations to the Department of State to finance the plan they proposed for the resettlement of Meo refugees in Thailand (Tab A), and (2) a memorandum f r o m me directing State, Defense and CIA to implement the plan (Tab B). The key points of the resettlement plan a r e : We will make available up to $10 million through Presidential Determinations to finance resettlement p r o g r a m s which will be c a r r i e d out by the United Nations High C o m m i s s i o n e r for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Royal Thai Government (RTG). Some of this money will a l s o be available for ethnic Lao refugees who are also presently in Thailand, s o m e of whom will be resettled in the U.S. and other third countries. The CIA, which has already provided goods for s h o r t - t e r m assistance, will stand by to provide interim help should the UNHCR program falter. Our Ambassador in Bangkok will make a special effort to insure that the Meo r e c e i v e all r e s o u r c e s allocated to them. There are 30,000 to 40,000 ethnic Meo refugees f r o m Laos now in Thailand who a r e in need of immediate relief a s s i s t a n c e . To date s o m e of these refugees have r e c e i v e d minimal amounts of aid f r o m the CIA with whom they have a long association, but m o s t a r e existing in deplorable conditions.
DECLASSIFIED A/ISS/IPS, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended February 27, 2009
All agencies agree that for political r e a s o n s , l o n g - t e r m U . S . assistance to the Meo and other Lao refugees should be channeled through the UNHCR/RTG p r o g r a m to the fullest extent p o s s i b l e . T o prevent further suffering on the part of the M e o , however, all agencies agree also that the CIA should continue to provide interim CIA funding up to a level of [textnotdeclassified] through D e c e m b e r 1975, when the UNHCR/RTG p r o g r a m is expected to be well underway. In order to c a r r y out the above plan you are asked to approve the transfer of up to an additional $ 6 . 8 million of foreign assistance appropriations to the Department of State. On August 5 you determined that up to $3 million of funds previously made available to the Department of State could be used to assist the Lao. This total of $ 9 . 8 million, with a supplement f r o m other countries amounting to $2.6 million, should c a r r y the p r o g r a m to D e c e m b e r 1976. While the UN High C o m m i s s i o n e r intends to make every effort to r e s o l v e the refugee p r o b l e m by that time, some continued international assistance will probably be n e c e s s a r y . There are some doubts about the effectiveness of the UNHCR/RTG p r o g r a m as it affects the M e o . The CIA has therefore requested that it be authorized to provide limited direct relief to the M e o in an e m e r g e n c y situation after D e c e m b e r 1975. This capability will be e x e r c i s e d only with the approval of our Ambassador in Bangkok. In v i e w of Thai sensitivities about the R e s e t t l e m e n t " of M e o in T h a i land, the p r o g r a m should probably not be designated as such. Rather, it will be termed " r e l i e f and assistance," which would last until the end of calendar year 1976. It is anticipated that at the end of this time those Meo who may decide to return to Laos to take their chance with the Provisional Government of National Union (PGNU) would have made such a decision, and that after that time the Thai would treat the remainder in the same fashion that they handle other tribespeople who have long been settled in Thailand. RECOMMENDATION; That you sign the Presidential Determination at Tab A transferring $6.8 million of foreign assistance appropriations to the State D e p a r t ment to finance this plan.
DECLASSIFIED A/ISS/IPS, Department of State E.O. 12958, as amended February 27, 2009
That you approve my signing the m e m o r a n d u m at Tab B instructing State, Defense and CIA to implement this plan. Approve[GRFinitialed]
Disapprove
Max F r i e d e r s d o r f and OMB concur in both of these r e c o m m e n d a t i o n s .
