thus assist in dealing with the problem of the accumulation of external debt.

16. The Consultative Committee recognised the importance of intraregional training and emphasised that there was scope for considerable expansion in this field. It welcomed the appointment of the Adviser on Intra-Regional Training and took note of the recommendations in the Report which he circulated to it. The Committee also welcomed the attention drawn to the importance of the co-ordination by Member Countries of their capital and technical assistance programmes and welcomed the action which certain countries were taking, or considering taking, in order to expand their own capacities to recruit more qualified experts and provide training facilities in certain fields where demand exceeds supply.

17. In accordance with the precedent set in 1962, a selected topic of special interest to Member Governments is discussed each year. The topic selected for discussion this year was "Development Problems of the Rural Areas". In most of South and South East Asia, the rural sector accounts for the greater part of gross national product and occupies an overwhelming majority of the working population. Many countries' earnings of foreign exchange are heavily dependent on agricultural exports. In many countries there is widespread unemployment and under-employment in rural areas. The Committee noted with concern that while demand for food was increasing constantly, both because of population growth and because of higher incomes, current food production seems barely to be keeping ahead of population growth. It was felt that priority should be given to expanding agricultural output. At the same time, it was suggested, Governments should not think of rural development in isolation but should try to achieve a balanced growth between agricultural and industrial sectors.

18. Factors on which successful development of the rural areas must depend, include adequate national planning and administration, applied research, advisory and extension services, improved seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation, mechanisation, transport and other infrastructure, marketing and price arrangements, credit and incentives for farmers, systems of land tenure, social reforms and community development.

19. The special topic for discussion at next year's Meeting of the Consultative Committee will be "The Relationship between Population and Economic Development in the Colombo Plan Area".

20. The Consultative Committee agreed that in 1966 the Information Committee should be a Committee of the whole; that each member government should endeavour to send to that meeting a specialist information officer; and that it should discuss the role of information and mass communications in economic and social development. 21. The Thirteenth Annual Report adopted by the Committee this year will be published in the capitals of Member Countries on or after 15th January, 1965. Chapter I of the Report, "Review of Economic

Progress", and Chapter II, "The Task Ahead", are annexed to this Communique.

22. The Consultative Committee welcomed the invitation of the Government of Pakistan to hold the 1965 Meeting in Karachi.

D. Relations With Certain Countries and Concerning Certain Problems of the Area

AUSTRALIA

Document IX-7

The Strategic Position of Australia in Asia: ADDRESS BY THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FAR EASTERN AFFAIRS (HILSMAN) AT THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, CANBERRA, JANUARY 25, 19641

Document IX-8

"Australia and the United States ... Work for the Same Kind of Free World": TOAST OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (JOHNSON) TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA (MENZIES) AT A WHITE HOUSE LUNCHEON, JUNE 24, 1964 2

CAMBODIA

[See also post, docs. IX-104 et seq.]

Document IX-9

Cambodian Receipt of Military Assistance From Communist China: ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY THE PRINCE HEAD OF STATE OF CAMBODIA (SIHANOUK), PHNOM PENH, MARCH 15, 1964 (EXCERPTS)3

* Not printed here.

1

2

Text in Department of State Bulletin, Jan. 18, 1965, pp. 84-86.

Department of State Bulletin, Feb. 17, 1964, pp. 243–250.

Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963-64, vol. I, pp. 814-815. Sir Robert Menzies was at this time paying an informal visit to the United States en route to the Conference of Commonwealth Prime Ministers in London. During the course of his visit, Prime Minister Menzies conferred with Secretary of State Rusk, Secretary of Defense McNamara, and President Johnson.

Document IX-10

United States Regret Over an Attack on the Cambodian Village of Chantrea: NOTE FROM THE SECRETARY OF STATE (RUSK) TO THE CAMBODIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (HUOT SAMBATH), DELIVERED MARCH 22, 1964 (EXCERPT)

4

It has been determined that the attack [on the village of Chantrea in Cambodia on the morning of March 19] was due wholly to an error in map reading and location. Our own investigation now reveals that an American advisor was present with the Vietnamese ground forces and that following the bombing attack about four Americans briefly landed from a helicopter with Vietnamese officers, who were engaged in locating the scene of the action. When it became clear to the Vietnamese Commander that an error had been committed, the Vietnamese armed forces and the American personnel promptly withdrew.

No American personnel engaged in any firing or directly participated in the military action during the incident.

In the light of these facts, I should like to express to the Government of Cambodia the profound regret of my Government that an attack on Cambodian territory should have taken place, that there should have been casualties and material damage in Cambodia as a result, and that American personnel should have been present during the action.

Document IX-11

United States Expression of "Great Interest" in the Independence, Neutrality, and Territorial Integrity of Cambodia: REPLY MADE BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE (RUSK) TO A QUESTION ASKED AT A NEWS CONFERENCE, MARCH 27, 1964 6

I think that today I would remind you that we have a great interest in the independence, the neutrality, the territorial integrity of Cambodia. We have no special national interest there except in a Cambodia which can play its proper role as an independent member of a family of nations.

Now, its problems apparently are related to its own immediate neighbors, Viet-Nam and Thailand. These problems are of long duration, have deep historical roots, and we feel that since there are signs that these problems can be worked out between Phnom Penh and its

*Department of State files. The note, dated Mar. 21, was released to the press on Mar. 23 by the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, where it had been delivered. Excerpts are printed in The New York Times, Mar. 24, 1964.

B

Seventeen people were reported killed and 13 injured.

"Department of State Bulletin, Apr. 13, 1964, p. 572.

two immediate neighbors, that those processes ought to have a chance to find solutions.

I would not want to make a categorical statement today about a conference, but in any event a conference needs the kind of preparation that would be involved in a meeting of the minds between Cambodia and its nearest neighbors. We think that this is a real possibility, and that if pursued with understanding and diligence on all sides this could be achieved, and that that would go a long way toward meeting the needs which Cambodia had in mind when a Geneva conference was proposed.

But we are hopeful that this matter can be prepared, can be worked on in the area among those most immediately concerned to see whether a solution of these problems can't be found.

Document IX-12

Cambodian Request for a Meeting of the United Nations Security Council To Consider Acts of Aggression Against It by the Forces of South Viet-Nam and the United States: LETTER FROM THE CAMBODIAN REPRESENTATIVE AT THE U.N. (SONN VOEUNSAI) TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL (SEYDOUX), MAY 13, 1964 $

7

8

* The Cambodian Government, in Nov. 1963, had formally requested the calling, for the purpose of guaranteeing Cambodian neutrality, of a conference of the 14 nations party to the 1962 Geneva agreement on Laos (text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1962, pp. 1075–1083). At that time, the United States reserved judgment on the calling of such a conference (see ibid., 1963, p. 742, footnote 12). In Jan. 1964 the United Kingdom, as cochairman of the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Cambodia, presented draft proposals on supervisory arrangements for any agreement that might be effected on Cambodian neutrality (see U.N. doc. S/5728), but no action was taken to implement the Cambodian request for an international conference.

On Feb. 19 Prince Sihanouk offered a plan for a 4-power (United States, South Viet-Nam, Thailand, Cambodia) conference to guarantee Cambodian integrity and neutrality, but withdrew the proposal on Mar. 11, indicating that the idea was doomed to failure and that American counterproposals calling for international supervision of Cambodian frontiers unreasonably called into question the integrity of those boundaries. In addition, Thailand had expressed reluctance to participate in such a 4-power conference. On the same date, Mar. 11, the U.S. and U.K. Embassies were attacked by Cambodian mobs, after which Prince Sihanouk expressed regrets.

Repeated Cambodian requests for the calling of a 14-power conference occurred throughout the year in various forums. The United States, meanwhile, expressed grave doubts about the worth of such a conference and made evident its lack of enthusiasm about attending (see post, docs. IX-14, 15, 23).

U.N. doc. S/5697. This letter forwarded a message to the President of the U.N. Security Council from the Cambodian Foreign Minister (Huot Sambath) which charged South Viet-Nam with aggressive raids into Cambodian territory on May 7 and 8.

On May 19 the U.N. Security Council decided, without objection, to place the Cambodian complaint on its agenda. The Security Council also decided, without objection, to invite the representative of Cambodia to participate without the right to vote. A similar invitation was extended to the representative of the Republic of Viet-Nam by a Security Council vote of 9 to 2 (U.S.S.R., Czechoslovakia).

Document IX-13

Termination of the United States-Cambodian Agreement on Direct Military Assistance: NOTIFICATION GIVEN BY THE CAMBODIAN GOVERNMENT, NOVEMBER 20, 1963, EFFECTIVE MAY 20, 1964"

Document IX-14

United States Interest in the Security of the Cambodia-Viet-Nam Border: STATEMENT MADE BY THE U.S. REPRESENTATIVE (STEVENSON) IN THE U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL, MAY 21, 1964 (EXCERPT) 10

Now, Mr. President, if we can return to the more limited issue before this Council today: the security of the frontier between Cambodia and the Republic of Viet-Nam. My Government is in complete sympathy with the concern of the Government of Cambodia for the sanctity of its borders and the security of its people. Indeed, we have been guided for nearly a decade, in this respect, by the words of the final declaration of the Geneva conference of July 21, 1954:

In their relations with Cambodia, Laos and Viet-Nam, each member of the Geneva Conference undertakes to respect the sovereignty, the independence, the unity and the territorial integrity of the abovementioned states, and to refrain from any interference in their internal affairs."

With respect to the allegations now made against my country.1 I shall do no more than reiterate what Ambassador [Charles W.] Yost, the United States delegate, said to this Council on Tuesday morning: 13 The United States has expressed regret officially for the tragic results of the border incidents in which an American adviser was present; our careful investigations so far have failed to produce evidence that any Americans were present in the inadvertent crossing of the Cambodian frontier on May 7 and May 8; and there is, of course, no question whatever of either aggression or aggressive intent against Cambodia on the part of my country.

Let me emphasize, Mr. President, that my Government has the greatest regard for Cambodia and its people and its Chief of State, Prince Sihanouk, whom I have the privilege of knowing. We believe he has done a great deal for his people and for the independence of his country. We have demonstrated our regard for his effort on behalf of his people in very practical ways over the past decade. We

"Text of the Cambodian note requesting a cessation of United States aid is printed in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1963, pp. 741-742. Text of the Agreement, which entered into force on May 16, 1955, is in TIAS 3240; 6 UST 995. Pars. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the agreement were to remain in force after May 20, 1964, pending their revision or abrogation by a new agreement.

10

Department of State Bulletin, June 8, 1964, pp. 907–913.

"Text in American Foreign Policy, 1950-1955: Basic Documents, vol. I, pp. 785-787.

12 See ante, doc. IX-12.

13 U.N. doc. S/PV.1118; May 19, 1964.