 The US government was aware of these activities in Cambodia , but <unk> from taking overt military action within Cambodia in hopes of convincing the <unk> Sihanouk to alter his position . To accomplish this , President Lyndon B. Johnson authorized covert cross @-@ border reconnaissance operations conducted by the secret Studies and Observations Group in order to gather intelligence on PAVN / NLF activities in the border regions ( Project <unk> ) . This intelligence data would then be presented to the prince in an effort to change his mind . 
