Ouane Rattikone 209678 194485495 2008-02-27T20:12:01Z 167.197.117.48 because {{Wikify|date=October 2007}} '''Ouane Rattikone (Ouan Rathikoun)''', a [[Laos|Laotian]] general, was the commander-in-chief of the ''Force Armée Republic'', the army of the [[Royal Lao Government]], during the 1960s. An ally of the [[United States]] during the [[Vietnam War]], Ouane developed a close relationship with [[William H. Sullivan]], the US [[ambassador]], and [[Ted Shackley]], the [[CIA]] station chief in [[Vientiane]]. Despite intense conflict amongst the RAF regional commanders, Ouane was pivotal in providing local military support against the [[North Vietnamese Army]] and the [[Pathet Lao]] in the northern regions of [[Laos]]. Ouane was also heavily involved in the trafficking of [[opium]] throughout Southeast Asia. Despite widespread [[conspiracy theories]] of CIA complicity in [[drug trafficking]], an investigation by the [[US Senate]] found no evidence of CIA involvement. In his memoirs, Shackley unapologetically stated that the CIA essentially turned a blind eye to the drug trafficking because their resources were already being sapped by the war in Vietnam.<sup>1</sup> ---- <sup>1</sup> Shackley, Ted. "Spymaster: My Life in the CIA." Potomac Books. Dulles, VA: 2005. [[Category:Year of birth missing|Rattikone, Ouane]] [[Category:Laos military personnel|Rattikone, Ouane]] [[Category:Year of death missing|Rattikone, Ouane]]