▁La os . ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁N ixon ' s ▁Vietnam ization ▁policy , ▁C IA ▁concern ▁arose ▁over ▁sust aining ▁the ▁cover t ▁nature ▁of ▁the ▁secret ▁war . ▁In ▁ 1 9 7 0 ▁Hel ms ▁decided ▁" to ▁transfer ▁the ▁budget ary ▁alloc ations ▁for ▁operations ▁in ▁La os ▁from ▁the ▁C IA ▁to ▁the ▁Def ense ▁Department ." ▁William ▁Col by , ▁then ▁a ▁key ▁American ▁figure ▁in ▁S out heast ▁Asia ▁and ▁later ▁D CI , ▁comments ▁that ▁" a ▁large - scale ▁par amil it ary ▁operation ▁does ▁not ▁fit ▁the ▁secret ▁budget ▁and ▁policy ▁procedures ▁of ▁C IA ." ▁ ▁About ▁La os , ▁however , ▁Hel ms ▁wrote ▁that ▁" I ▁will ▁always ▁call ▁it ▁the ▁war ▁we ▁won ." ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 6 , ▁the ▁C IA ▁had ▁term ed ▁it ▁" an ▁exempl ary ▁success ▁story ". ▁Col by ▁con cur red . ▁Senator ▁Stuart ▁Sym ington , ▁after ▁a ▁ 1 9 6 7 ▁visit ▁to ▁the ▁C IA ▁chief ▁of ▁station ▁in ▁V ient iane , ▁the ▁La ot ian ▁capital , ▁reported ly ▁called ▁it ▁" a ▁sensible ▁way ▁to ▁fight ▁a ▁war ." ▁Yet ▁others ▁disag re ed , ▁and ▁the ▁' secret ▁war ' ▁would ▁later ▁draw ▁frequent ▁political ▁attack . ▁Author ▁We iner ▁critic izes ▁the ▁imper ious ▁insert ion ▁of ▁American ▁power , ▁and ▁the ▁ult imate ▁abandon ment ▁of ▁America ' s ▁H m ong ▁al lies ▁in ▁ 1 9