Royally rumpled in mufti, His Majesty Savang Vatthana of Laos arrived in Washington last week. This was the second stop on a tour of 13 of the nations signatory to the Geneva pact last year that guaranteed the "neutrality" of Savang's lethargic little kingdom. The first stop had been Moscow, and the Russians showered gifts, including slick Chaika (Seagull) limousines, on the King and his bland, bowing Laotian entourage. President Kennedy did not exert himself to exceed the Russians: he gave the King a desk set and an autographed photo of himself.
There was, perhaps, cause for the President's casualness. For the...
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