"John Foster Dulles had called on me in his capacity as Secretary of State, and he had exhausted every argument to persuade me to place Cambodia under the protection of the South East Asia Treaty Organization"

This quote by Norodom Sihanouk recommends that John Foster Dulles, the Secretary of State at the time, had visited him in an effort to convince him to sign up with the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO). Dulles had actually utilized all of his persuasive arguments to try and get Sihanouk to consent to put Cambodia under the security of SEATO. This could recommend that Dulles was attempting to get Cambodia to join the organization in order to strengthen the alliance and increase its power in the area. It might likewise suggest that Dulles was attempting to safeguard Cambodia from possible hazards from other countries in the area. Eventually, Sihanouk did not accept sign up with SEATO, which could have been because of his own political beliefs or the fact that he did not wish to be influenced by foreign powers.