ELSUR 65-1523-I-1787
Agency: FBI
Originator: FBI
From: WMFO
Document date: 1/3/61
Document type: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT

## Page 1

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Hote].

DATE: 11-14-2017

JFK Assassination System

Date:

Identification Form

6/8/2015

Agency Information

AGENCY:

RECORD NUMBER :

RECORD SERIES :

FBI

124-90011-10001

WMFO

AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ELSUR SEE TITLE

Document Information

ORIGINATOR:

FROM:

TO :

FBI

WMFO

TITLE:

[Restricted]

DATE : 01/03/1961

'PAGES:

4

SUBJECTS:

MOSS/MORGAN ELSUR

DOCUMENT TYPE: PAPER, TEXTUAL DOCUMENT •

CLASSIFICATION: Secret

RESTRICTIONS: 1B; 10

CURRENT STATUS: Redact

DATE OF LAST REVIEW: 09/16/1997

OPENING CRITERIA: INDEFINITE

COMMENTS : SUMMARY;

v9.1

DocId: 32323163

Page 1

---

## Page 2

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Note)?

DATE: 11-14-2017

AND INVCCRAZION CONTAINEU

1403 ESOTSTED

2.111

„CAE SHORN

05622A4.6

SECRET

Washington, D. C.

January 3, 1961

Tuesday

1-3-61

9:33.am

3

- OG

28-28

SUMMARY (WE-987-S:) (5)

11:03

am

9 - 0G

12-10

has been received in New York by the French UN Delegation 7,

The memorandum enclosed an envelope from the Elysee (Palace)s

sed to the

and because of the.

gool has not been received at the Embassy?

intil today. LEBELSbtes that the mistake originally was

made

by the Elyseelswhich thought that the President of the

U. S slives at New York, but that does not excuse the

Ministry (of Foreign Affairs from forwarding it to Nev

York rather

it.

BEAUMARCHAT STill handi

(s0e 12:45 am, 12-31-60, CPR16290) (Frond lesHLD/Id

CLAUDE LEBEL'S secretary to the secretary of Mr. ERNESTO

11:35

4 - OG

am

(French](s) HT.D/hld

(S)

PPS),

State Department, telling her

that (CUBATZ ( chauffeur) has just called from the airport tr

' fi

CLASSIFIED BY 5668 SID/GEL

DECLASSIF ON 25X1 41(2)

5/12/97

(9/25/97)

SECRET

[FR-16297]5)

165-1523

SEARCHED

INEXED L

SERIALIEN TUTO

JAN 4 1960

1223 yuall

DocId: 32323163 Page 2

---

## Page 3

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Aot of 1992 744 USC 2107 Hotel.

DATE: 11-14-2017

SECRET

Washington, D. C.

January 3, 1961

Tuesday

1-3-61

11:55 am

2 - IC.

41-121

(5)

ER? SUMMARY - CONT'D (WF-987-S:)]()

EDWARD MORGAN (American Broadcasting Company) to CLAUDE

LEBEL Sasking for clarification of the French position (S)

on the laos situation and noting that even as late as last

according to (New York) Times reports this mornings.

the British and the French on one

side and (the U.S.) on

the other differed as to the need to the need to re-

establish the (International Control) Commission and also:

on the fact that the French and

the British up to now have

taken

the view

that a neutralist government is the only

thing

to do whereas

the Americans have taken the view that

a pro-Western neutral (Government) is the base (upon which

to build).

(5).

aThe question of thesfommission, rEBeL replies,

on which the French

have no extraordinary hard views that is

diplomacy,

but it has very little to do with what (France)

feels

to be the real solution of the problem. LEBEL think

Javor of a neutralist government,

nauthose terms but very close to it, in nar telegrated

yesterday afternoon, which is quite visibly inspired at the

Quai d'orsay (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs). G)

IbErToffers to send a copy of this Arp telegrar to MORGAN

But MORGAN declines because he has seen a dispatch in the

Times which probably has

the same information.

Heart does not think ne can say much mone at present exosse

there have been

o1 reports about

Including the Pathet Laoff)This is not, LEBELS)

explains, what the frenchkposition (emphasizing the past

tense, was--lt was a coalition government including all:

tendencies

except the communists, but with an insistence

on

all except the communists; that is to say, including those

who were in quite friendly terms

• neutral terms viz-a-viz

to the French osition today, the last

that it has not changed on that line, but with

the changes in the political situation (in Laosas it

stands, this is an open question....:

SECREL

[ER-16298]61

(Continued)

DocId: 32323163 Page 3

---

## Page 4

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (14 USC 2107 Hote).

DATE: 11-14-2017

1-3-61

11:55 am

Cont'd

SECRET

washington, D. C.

January

3, 1961

Tuesday

SUMMARY - CONT'D (WE-987-S*))(S)

EDEARD MORGAN and LEBEL

Continued

from London which said that both (U. S. Ambassador) WHITNEY

E the

revival of the (International Control) Commission was

this is

something which happened between others he is not

the one to give a line on this sout he thinks the truth is

half-way between--that is, there is agreement on principle,.

and perhaps there is not yet agreement on how to do it..:

MORGAN asks' what the french answerf has been to the American

argument that to have a coalition government would be too

dangerous,

that it would bleed the regime to weakness--

MORGAN explains that he is referring to a seemingly

illuminating dispatch which the Washington Post reprinted

from the London Observer last Thursday in which it was said

that many British feel that the Americans threw away a

golden opportunity of restoring peace and political equilib-

rium to Laos when they failed to support SOUVANNA PHOUMA.

(5)

was

never really, supported here; "(the French) know the man?s

quite well

if he had been (supported here) he would not

have turned to the left as he was oblig d.

(turned no. Ko mong but she non to that he ma to de

do to reestablis

regause hefelt there was no support here.

LEBEL emphasizes that every

ning he is saying is for back-

ground (and not quotation)

MORGAN accepts it as such...e

also, MORGAN continues, a report in the Washington

Post by this rather good reporter, WARREN UNNA, in which he

said that there had been a hassle between (the

U.S.)

Ambassador and CIA field people on the one hand and

Washington

CIA and the State Department on the other, that the field

people were

urging the support of PHOUMA

but that they were

overruled. Useless to say, LabeL replies if he were

no mats that

point he would consider himselfa jolly good

could not say that what he has seen and

heard would urge

him to disprove that story; he just does

aot know ary darnod thing abort. le?

(ER-16299)

SECREE

(Continued)

DocId: 32323163 Page 4

---

## Page 5

Released under the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Note):

DATE: 11-14-2017

SECRET

305

Washington, D. G.

January 3, 1961

Tuesday

1-3-61

11:55 am

Cont'd

(3)

R SUNMARY - CONTID (WF -987-S:)(5)

EDWARD MORGAN and LEBEL

Continued

MORGAN thinks he can clarify this a little bit more here

today; but it makessense, he observes.

lugubrious

the papers today that Paris

and London still do not think

in terms

of the word "grave".

"Vo, Ion one reason, LABEL

replies that when one is dealing with Laos, ore is dealing

with Laotians, and what would go for other peoples cannot

apply to an absolutely charming people where the notion of

hate hardly exists; so that when you read that communist

forces have taken

someplace, the news is not good, but it

is not as bad when it applies to laos as if it applied

to someplace else.::

The question which puzzles MORGAN is what to do from here-

alerting the

Is that alerting the fleet is an excellent thing because

two things may happen:

either negotiation, and

it is always

better to negotiate with a fleet behind you; or the opposite,

then you need (the fleet)

In any case, that is not

bad in itself, LEBEL replies]Sthe problem is how one would

start some form of negotiation, and to what end.

national Control) Commission is the first step toward getting

ome kind of

clear as to

the best possible procedural angle..dri

MORGAN,

summing up

notes that the French obiggtive is a

neutralist Government without the Pathet Lao:

is this realistic?

but, he asks,

A few days ago this was (the Frenchs)

position, LEBEL replies? but now he has

an interrogation

mark in his mind considering what has happened since.

(English) HLD/hlc

SECRUE

(ER-16300] 65)

DocId: 32323163 Page 5

---