LAOS: Bell for the Middle Man

Premier Prince Souvanna Phouma of Laos is clearly a man who prefers the comforting sound of temple bells to the strident sounds of war. And although he was hoisted to the premiership by young (26) and moody Paratroop Captain Kong Le after a successful coup d'état in August, Souvanna basically abhorred soldiers in government ("There is always a coup in the offing"). He loved peace. To re-establish it after seven years of trouble with the pro-Communist Pathet Lao, Souvanna hopefully sought to end the nagging civil war by forming a government of "national union" that would range from his...

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