386 



in Indochina for a short time stabilized. The kingdoms resumed inter- 

 est in Mekong developments. The next Mekong study was undertaken 

 in this context. It was a brief reconnaissance by the U.S. Bureau of 

 Reclamation under the sponsorship of the U.S. International Cooper- 

 ation Administration (later U.S.A.I.D.) at the request of the Riparian 

 States. Although the interest of the States themselves was undeniable, 

 it seems likely that the initiative for this effort traces ultimately to 

 France and the United States. It may well have been thought that 

 simulating a general interest in technological and economic develop- 

 ment of the region might help to stabilize the political regimes there. 

 At any event, a Special Project Agreement was signed between the Ri- 

 parian States and the United States in November 1955. Thereafter, 

 the representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation ranged the area, held 

 several meetings with representatives of the four countries, and re- 

 turned to the United States, where their "Reconnaissance Report — 

 Lower Mekong River Basin" was issued in March 1956. Perhaps be- 

 cause it was issued by representatives of the nation that had most to 

 offer in support of the project, as well as the broadest experience with 

 systematic river basin development, this 36-page report, with its five 

 detailed appendices, received close attention in Indochina. It was a col- 

 lection of the best data available about the region, and identified with 

 some care the kinds of data needed to get on with the project. Specifi- 

 cally, it called for hydrographic and sediment surveys of the main 

 river; surveys of such features of the entire basin as topography, 

 geology, transportation, communications, and agriculture; establish- 

 ment of water flow measuring stations on the main stem and tribu- 

 taries, weather stations, and a systematic search for preferred dam 

 sites ; studies of such special problems as the control of the water level 

 of the great lake (Tonle Sap) in central Cambodia, the salty soil in 

 the great Plaine des Jones of Vietnam, the technology of double-crop- 

 ping to increase agriculture production, and improved fish capture and 

 processing; and such action programs as improved sanitation in water 

 supply, and the training of local personnel in the technical skills that 

 would be required later on. The study emphasized the need for cooper- 

 ation among the four Riparian States in collecting, maintaining, and 

 disseminating data on a uniform, integrated basis. 



In the year 1957 the pace of events quickened. When the Bureau of 

 Reclamation report was presented at the annual meeting of ECAFE 

 in Bangkok in March it was enthusiastically endorsed. Toward the 

 end of May a group of experts from the Riparian States convened in 

 Bangkok to implement the recommendations. This group proposed 

 that the Riparian States form a coordinating committee with ECAFE 

 guidance. A further meeting was held in mid-September 1957 which 

 produced an agreed-upon "Statute of the Committee for Coordina- 

 tion of Investigations of the Lower Mekong Basin." 29 

 _ As approved by the participating governments, this charter as- 

 signed to I he ( loordination Committee the functions of overseeing the 



28 At Its meeting in Bangkok, May 10-11, 1967, the Committee decided to change its 

 name to "Committee for the Development of the Lower Mekong Basin," abbreviated to 

 "Mekong Development Committee." 



