Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, China, Volume XIX

174. Telegram From the Embassy in the Republic of China to the Department of State⁰

Taipei, October 10, 1958, 2 p.m.

578. Department pass CINCPAC.

1. Admiral Smoot has invited my attention to CNO 090035Z, CINCPAC 090446Z¹ and his 090942Z² on subject of Tan Islands. I believe position set forth my telegram 264 responding Deptels 138 and 163³ is still valid.

Militarily there may be little justification to hold islands and if attack is resumed with increased vigor GRC may eventually find it necessary to evacuate them. But it is more likely GRC will garrison them to bitter end while reducing number of defenders to more manageable levels. In fact this is already taking place.

2. President and other GRC leaders have repeatedly vowed openly “not one inch of GRC territory will be evacuated”. Problem to them is largely political and psychological, not military. They reason that evacuation would have highly adverse repercussions here, abroad and on mainland, as well as among Kinmen defenders. They think it would vitiate and undercut gallant defense put up hitherto by Kinmen defenders. They fear too evacuation of Tan might set precedent for bigger evacuation in future.

3. My assessment is that it would be highly undesirable for us to meddle in this delicate problem at this time. I would suggest that we sit back and let GRC come to us if military difficulty arises. Then we can discuss islands purely from military viewpoint. If we take initiative to urge evacuation I predict such action will sow dissension and renew GRC suspicions about our basic policies in regard to Offshores. I predict too that our urging to evacuate Tans will be rebuffed by Chiang.

4. I also continue to believe we should not discuss with GRC what Offshore Islands we will defend and not defend unless and until there is some concrete development which renders this absolutely necessary. I still hope we can weather storm without necessity for tackling this touchy problem.⁴

Drumright

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/10–1058. Top Secret; Limit Distribution. The documents cited in footnotes 1, 3, and 4 below are in the Supplement.
1. Telegram 090446Z from CINCPAC to CNO, October 9, commented on CNO 090035Z; it concurred that the Tans were a military liability. A copy is in Washington National Records Center, RG 84, Taipei Embassy Files: Lot 62 F 83, FRC 68 A 5159, Item 147.
2. See footnote 2, Document 173.
3. Regarding telegram 138 to Taipei, see footnote 1, Document 43. Telegram 163 to Taipei, August 29, requested Drumright’s and Smoot’s views as to whether the GRC should be informed of the decision conveyed in telegram 138. (Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/8–2958) Telegram 264 from Taipei, August 30, stated that Drumright and Smoot advised against this. (Ibid., 793.00/8–3058)
4. Telegram 334 to Taipei, October 11, stated that Nationalist withdrawal from the Tans would be welcome but agreed that neither Drumright nor Smoot should take the initiative in urging it. It instructed Drumright that if the GRC requested his opinion, he should advise that Smoot be consulted; if the question was put to Smoot, he was authorized to reply as he had suggested in his telegram 090942Z. (Ibid., 793.00/10–1058)