Editing Norodom Sihanouk (section)

===Initial years as Head of State (1960–1965)===
Suramarit, Sihanouk's father, died on 3 April 1960{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=115}} after several months of poor health that Sihanouk blamed upon the shock that his father had received from the parcel bomb attack.{{sfnp|Sihanouk|1973|p=110}} The following day, the Cambodian Crown Council met to choose Monireth as regent.{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=61}} Over the next two months, Sihanouk introduced constitutional amendments to create the new post of Head of State of Cambodia, which provided ceremonial powers equivalent to that of the king. A [[1960 Cambodian policy referendum|referendum]] held on 5 June 1960 approved Sihanouk's proposals, and Sihanouk was formally appointed Head of State on 14 June 1960.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/06/14/archives/cambodia-names-ruler-prince-sihanouk-agrees-to-become-chief-of.html|title=Cambodia Names Ruler; Prince Sihanouk Agrees to Become 'Chief of State'|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=14 June 1960|access-date=1 August 2023}}</ref>{{sfnp|Jeldres|2005|p=62}} As the head of state, Sihanouk took over various ceremonial responsibilities of the king, such as holding [[Audience (meeting)|public audiences]]{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=120}} and leading the [[Royal Ploughing Ceremony#Cambodia|Royal Ploughing Ceremony]]. At the same time, he continued to play an active role in politics as Sangkum's leader.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=144}}

[[File:JFK and Prince Sihanouk in New York, 1961.jpg|thumb|Sihanouk with US President [[John F. Kennedy]] in New York City on 25 September 1961]]
In 1961, Pracheachon's spokesperson, Non Suon, criticized Sihanouk for failing to tackle inflation, unemployment, and corruption in the country. Non Suon's criticisms gave Sihanouk the impetus to arrest Pracheachon leaders, and, according to him, he had discovered plans by their party to monitor local political developments on behalf of foreign powers.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=119}} That same year Sihanouk attended the [[1st Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement]], making Cambodia one of the founding members of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]]. In May 1962 [[Tou Samouth]], Pracheachon's secretary-general, disappeared, and its ideological ally, the [[Communist Party of Kampuchea]], suspected that Samouth had been secretly captured and killed by police.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=120}} Sihanouk nevertheless allowed Sangkum's left-wing politicians to run again in the 1962 [[1962 Cambodian general election|general elections]], which they all won.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=157}} He even appointed two left-wing politicians, Hou Yuon and [[Khieu Samphan]], as secretaries for planning and commerce, respectively, after the election.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=158}}

In November 1962, Sihanouk called on the US to stop supporting the [[Khmer Serei]], which he believed they had been secretly doing through the CIA. He threatened to reject all economic aid from the US if they failed to respond to his demands,{{sfnp|Peou|2000|pp=125–126}} a threat he later carried out on 19 November 1963.{{sfnp|Sihanouk|1973|p=133}} At the same time, Sihanouk also [[Nationalization|nationalised]] the country's [[entrepot]] trade, banking sector, and distillery industries.{{sfnp|Osborne|1994|p=161}} To oversee policy and regulatory matters on the country's entrepot trade, he set up the National Export-Import Corporation and Statutory Board, better known as "SONEXIM".{{sfnp|Sihanouk|1973|p=137}}

When Sarit, Diem, and US president [[John F. Kennedy]] died in November and December 1963, Sihanouk rejoiced over their deaths, as he accused them of attempting to destabilise Cambodia. He organised concerts and granted civil servants extra leave time to celebrate the occasion. When the US government protested Sihanouk's celebrations, he responded by recalling the Cambodian ambassador to the US, Nong Kimny.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|pp=136–137}}

In early 1964, Sihanouk signed a secret agreement with [[North Vietnam]] and the [[Viet Cong]], allowing Chinese military aid meant for them to be delivered through [[Sihanoukville Autonomous Port|Sihanoukville's port]]. In turn, the [[Royal Cambodian Army|Cambodian army]] would be paid for delivering food supplies to the Viet Cong, and at the same time skim off 10{{nbsp}}percent of all military hardware supplies.{{sfnp|Chandler|1991|p=140}} In addition, he also allowed the Viet Cong to build a trail through eastern Cambodia, so that their troops could receive war supplies from North Vietnam. The trail later became known as the [[Sihanouk Trail]].{{sfnp|Marlay|Neher|1999|p=160}} When the US learned of Viet Cong presence in eastern Cambodia, they started a bombing campaign,{{sfnp|Sihanouk|1973|p=139}} spurring Sihanouk to sever diplomatic ties with the US in May 1965.{{sfnp|Marlay|Neher|1999|p=160}} As a result of this secret agreement, Communist countries, including China, the [[Soviet Union]], and [[Czechoslovakia]], provided military aid to Cambodia.{{sfnp|Peou|2000|p=124}}