Revolution in Laos: The North Vietnamese and The Pathet Lao, Sept. 1969
Revolution in Laos: The North Vietnamese and The Pathet Lao
By P.F Langer and J.J Zasloff, The RAND Corporation, September 1969
It has been clear for some time that the Lao revolutionary movement, commonly known as the Pathet Lao (PL), receives support from the North Vietnamese Communists, but far less is known about the relationship between these two movements. …
The author concludes that the Pathet Lao revolutionary movement owes its existence to direct initiative, guidance and support of the Viet Minh movement and its leaders, and that in the period since the Viet Minh’s successful struggle for the independence of Indochina, it has remained heavily dependent on Vietnamese assistance and direction. Thus, in the late 1940s, the Lao revolutionaries drew their strength from bases in North Vietnam. In the early 1950s, thanks to Viet Minh’s protection, they were able to transfer theirs headquarters to the borders region of eastern Laos. From these secure bases, following behind the Viet Minh military advance into Laos, the Pathet Lao succeeded in extending their influence westward toward the Mekong plains.
Click on the below link to read the whole book:
http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_memoranda/2008/RM5935.pdf