Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume VI

330/8–2550

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy Director of the Office of Chinese Affairs (Perkins)

secret

[Washington,] August 25, 1950.

Subject: Proposed U.S. Action in the UN Regarding Chou En-lai’s Letter to the Secretary General¹

Participants:	Mr. B. A. B. Burrows, Counselor, British Embassy
	Mr. Merchant, FE
	Mr. Perkins, CA

Mr. Burrows called this afternoon at his request to state that the British had given consideration to the draft US statement for use in the United Nations Security Council in reply to the letter from Chou En-lai to the Secretary General. Mr. Burrows indicated in summary that the British thought it would be unfortunate to have the question precipitated in the UNSC in a substantive form before there was a clearer exchange of views between the US and the UK on the Formosa question as related to the UN. He said that the British were anxious to avoid anything being said in the Council which it might later be found desirable or necessary to retract. Mr. Burrows then read from a message from the Foreign Office which recommended that an endeavor be made to play for time in consideration of the Chinese Communist appeal. In order to avoid having the matter become a bone of contention between the two governments, the British Government wished to have full exchange of views with the US. To this end, the Foreign Office was expecting to furnish at an early moment an outline of British views on the subject.

Mr. Merchant explained that Ambassador Austin planned to transmit the American statement to the Secretary General (he perhaps had already done so) for circulation among the Council members; if the question was raised in the Council Mr. Austin would then read the statement. Mr. Burrows indicated that this would be a happier procedure than forthright debate which would be inconclusive and which would likely bring the US in as a party to the dispute.

Mr. Merchant said it was our expectation to keep the British Embassy fully informed of our thinking on the subject as it developed. Mr. Burrows indicated in closing that quiet treatment for the immediate future and close consultation between the two governments would have the virtue of avoiding the appearance of political cleavage and would prevent the Russians from using the Formosa question as a device to becloud the Korean issue.

1. The letter under reference was dated August 24 and is printed in U.N. document S/1715. It accused the United States of direct armed aggression against the territory of China by its action in preventing the liberation of Taiwan by the forces of the People’s Republic of China. The text of the letter was read into the minutes of the meeting of the U.N. Security Council held on August 25 to consider the Korean question by the Soviet Representative, Yakov Malik, who was President of the Council for the month of August. The United States Representative, Ernest Gross, responded by reading a letter from Ambassador Austin to Secretary-General Lie, dated August 25 (U.N. document S/1716), denying the Chinese charge, reiterating the United States position on Formosa, and welcoming United Nations consideration and full investigation of the case of Formosa. For the record of the Security Council meeting, see U.N. document S/PV.490.