Word: bouns
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Anywhere else in the world, the U.S. would rush to back a stubborn antiCommunist leader. In Laos the situation is different. For months the U.S. has been trying to nudge the country's leading antiCommunist, General Phoumi Nosavan, and his protege, Prince Boun Oum, into a coalition government with "Neutralist" Prince Souvanna Phouma and pro-Communist Prince Souphanouvong. Reason: the U.S. is convinced that De fense Minister Phoumi (whom it once backed) and his Royal Laotian Army could never win a war against the Communist guerrillas, now considers its best hope is to make Laos into a neutral buffer...
...outright sanctions, the U.S. put the pressure on by failing to deposit the regular monthly aid payment of $4,000,000 with the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. With a straight face, U.S. officials announced that "administrative snags" caused the delay. The U.S. aim: to make Phoumi and Boun Oum go to Geneva for more talks with the permanent international conference on Laos. But Phoumi was not about to buy a plane ticket for Geneva without a fight. In a belt-tightening measure to safeguard his dollar reserves, he ordered the National Bank of Laos to stop exchanging dollars...
...princes looked around for the third, pro-Western Prince Boun Oum, but he was brooding at home. Souvanna cheerfully told reporters he would do everything possible to bring about a "definite solution." Stern-faced Souphanouvong read off a two-page propaganda speech denouncing Boun Oum for "aggravating and complicating the political situation" and took a swipe at the "warmongering activities...
Faultless Prince. After lunch, the princes went off to call on Boun Oum in his villa. Portly Boun Oum was prepared, he said, to accept a Cabinet of 16 members, four to be chosen by himself, four by the Red Prince and eight by Souvanna -but four of Souvanna's eight must also have Boun Oum's approval. Further, until Souvanna's "neutrality is proved," Boun Oum insisted that he be given the vital ministries of Defense and Interior...
...Prince Souphanouvong cried, "If you insist on Defense and Interior, we do too. If these are your final terms, we might as well go back to the Plaine des Jarres." Boun Oum snapped: "There is no need to have a three princes' meeting. I never want to hear about a three princes' meeting again." Souphanouvong got in a proletarian retort: "It's not my fault I'm a prince. I was born a prince, and I have to live with it." At a press conference, Boun Oum said: "I've told Prince Souvanna Phouma this...