In 1960, a coup d'etat took place in Vientiane by a paratroop captain Kong Le who demanded forming
a neutralist government to end the fighting. The neutralist government was formed under Souvanna
Phouna, but rightist forces led by General Phoumi Nosavan later that year replaced it. In response,
Kong Le and the LPF formed an alliance, which was supported by North Vietnam and the Soviet
Union, while the United States supported Phoumi Nosavan's rightist regime.