Foreign Relations of the United States, 1917–1972, Volume VIII, Public Diplomacy, 1969–1972

165. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Scali) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)¹

Washington, March 9, 1972

SUBJECT

• Journalistic Exchange

Bob McCloskey of the State Department reports that he is already receiving numerous inquiries, such as the attached,² asking for assistance and/or guidance for journalists’ visits to China under whatever cultural exchange can be worked out with the Chinese government.

He discussed this matter with me today for the purpose of working out a united government position on what, if anything, the government should do to help American newsmen.

I bring this up to you for your consideration in fitting it within the broad framework of cultural exchanges with the Chinese. I offer these points as possible guideposts:

1. The U.S. government must avoid encouraging, or appearing to encourage, the Chinese to select or favor any single American news organization or newsman. We should maintain a hands-off impartiality, leaving it to the Chinese to decide whom to admit, either for visits or for permanent accreditation, if and when the PRC chooses to do so.

2. As a government, however, we might encourage the PRC to allow American newsmen to visit China on reporting assignments and to allow American news organizations to establish permanent news bureaus in China. In return, we should welcome visits by Chinese newsmen and the establishment of permanent news bureaus in the United States.

3. As a government we should agree on a contact point for news organizations and newsmen interested in such reporting, in view of what has been said publicly about such journalistic exchanges, both by the President and in the Chinese-U.S. communique³ after the President’s visit. The State Department might be considered as the appropriate contact point, if it is to handle exchanges generally. State could receive and relay applications to the Chinese and assist in whatever way the government would decide on as appropriate under the policy.

Setting a policy and a procedure to be followed will become increasingly urgent as the applications begin to snowball. It would seem to me that some U.S. government involvement is inescapable in arranging such journalistic exchanges, unlike other visits such as those by physicians, educators, technicians, etc., which could be handled via a sponsoring organization such as the National Committee for the U.S.-China Relations.

As you recall, while in Hangchou, the Acting Director of Information for the PRC, P’eng Hua, at one point advised Ziegler and me that the Chinese had decided to allow 15 American newsmen to remain for a 7–10 day period after the President left China. Ziegler and I both advised him this was a decision for the Chinese to make but that, as a principle, we favored journalistic exchanges. As you know, the Chinese later changed their minds and allowed only two American newsmen to remain behind.⁴

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, Staff Member and Office Files, John A. Scali, Subject Files, Box 5, Kissinger. No classification marking. A copy was sent to Ziegler.
2. Not attached.
3. Printed in Foreign Relations, 1969–1976, vol. XVII, China, 1969–1972, Document 203.
4. In a March 28 memorandum to Scali, thanking him for his memorandum, Kissinger noted: “Your memorandum has been distributed to members of our staff concerned with the development of exchange programs with the PRC. The guidelines you suggest will be very helpful in the present period as we evolve procedures for handling such exchanges.” (National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, Staff Member and Office Files, John A. Scali, Subject Files, Box 5, Kissinger)