Americans Have Fought In Laos

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32360, 28 July 1970, Page 17

Americans Have Fought In Laos

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

WASHINGTON, July 27.

American troops have crossed into Laos and fought North Vietnamese troops several times for periods of up to eight or nine hours, it was disclosed today.

The Secretary of Defence (Mr Melvin Laird) made the disclosure on May 4 in testimony before a House of Representatives subcommittee on defence appropriation just four days after American troops invaded Cambodia. His testimony was released today. Mr Laird said that he did not believe the incursion into Laos violated the Congressional stricture against using American fighting forces on Laotian soil.

some misunderstanding about the United States intention. United States forces had never intended to capture the headquarters intact, but only to destroy their facilities and put them out of operation, he said.

He was in South Vietnam at the time and personally authorised one incursion. He did not disclose during which of his Vietnamese visits he gave the authorisation, nor did he give the dates of the incursions.

Mr Laird told the sub-com-mittee that “when the safety of American troops is involved in battle, I feel ... 1 have the authority to permit our commanders to make short incursions into Laos in accordance with our protective reaction policy to prevent American casualties.” When we authorised the intervention, American soldiers were being fired on by North Vietnamese, he added.

Asked about criticism that American forces had failed in their aim of capturing the Communists’ South Vietnam (C.0.5.V.N.) headquarters in Cambodia, Mr Laird said that there had apparently been