BACKGROUND INFORMATION RELATING TO SOUTHEAST ASIA AND VIETNAM (2d REVISED EDITION) COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS UNITED STATES SENATE 59-308 O MARCH 1966 Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Relations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1966 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office This compilation was first published by the Committee on Foreign Relations on January 14, 1965, updated on June 16, 1965, and issued as a revised edition. The present volume, the second revised edition, further updates the June 16, 1965, publication. It contains material deemed useful in discussion of the situation in southeast Asia. The material has been collected with the assistance of the Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress, the Department of State, and the staff of the Committee on Foreign Relations. It should be noted that this compilation is limited to statements by officials of the executive branch and pertinent official documents, with the exception of the material on the programs of South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the National Liberation Front (which were obtained through the Department of State). The volume would, of course, be more useful if it also contained materials, such as articles by experts on southeast Asia, from sources outside the Government. However, the selection of nonofficial items for inclusion would have placed the committee in a most difficult position. Rather than run the risk of subjecting the committee and its staff to attack for showing bias in one way or another on the most controversial foreign policy issue to arise in many years, it was decided to limit the contents to the scope indicated above. Therefore, this volume does not pretend to be a well-rounded treatment of the subject. J. W. FULBRIGHT, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations. III |