Office of the Historian

139. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China1

Washington, April 14, 1966, 5:41 p.m.

1048. 1. Assistant Secretary Bundy April 14 called in Chinese, Korean and Japanese ambassadors to explain that Marvin Kalb CBS broadcast morning of April 14 citing statement by Secretary before Zablocki committee as evidence that US-China policy changing is completely without foundation.2

2. Bundy said it had been our plan give text Secretary’s statement to ambassadors prior publication originally planned for next week. Since press leak had occurred we making it available to the ambassadors’ governments at once and will send copies to embassies later in day. (Text of statement being transmitted addressee posts by septel.)3

3. Bundy flatly denied there any change in US-China policy, as he said would be clear on reading text of Secretary’s statement. Said there no implication whatever in Secretary’s statement that US, as claimed in Kalb broadcast, moving toward two Chinas. Referring to Kalb mention of Secretary’s reference to invitations to Chinese Communist scholars to travel to the US, Bundy said no policy change involved as reciprocal travel always considered implicit in categories authorized by Dept travel to restricted areas, namely newsmen, doctors, and scholars.

4. Australian and New Zealand embassies also informed.

5. Embassy requested convey ASAP to Foreign Ministries full text Secretary’s statement, making foregoing points.

Rusk
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL CHICOM-US. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Bennett, cleared by Dean and FE Public Affairs Adviser Richard L. Sneider, and approved by Fearey. Also sent Priority to Tokyo, Seoul, Wellington, and Canberra.↩
  2. The texts of Kalb’s broadcast and Rusk’s March 16 statement before the Subcommittee on the Far East and the Pacific of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs are attached to a memorandum of April 16 from Read to Walt Rostow. The memorandum stated that Rusk had made revisions in the statement before giving it to the Subcommittee for publication; Kalb had seen the original version and had drawn inferences from a revision concerning the Chinese representation issue. (Ibid., POL 1 CHICOM-US)↩
  3. The text was transmitted in circular telegram 2012, April 14. (Ibid.)↩