800.796/716
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. Joseph C. Grew, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State
Mr. Liu Chieh, the Chinese Chargé d’Affaires, called this morning at his request. He referred to the proposal communicated by Mr. Berle that the Chinese Government participate in bi-lateral exploratory talks with us on the subject of postwar civil aviation and said that his Government was now glad to accept this proposal.
Mr. Chieh asked how soon we felt the meeting should take place. In reply I told him of our talks with the Canadians and the British and the plans for our forthcoming talks with the Soviet Russians [Page 441] which would probably occur within the next ten days. I said that we would be glad to meet the Chinese group at any time they wished, but suggested that a mutually convenient date might be set after the completion of our talks with the Russians. Mr. Chieh indicated that he thought this would be entirely satisfactory to them and that we might perhaps meet sometime in early May. He said that while China had certain aviation experts in Washington, he thought that his Government might wish to send others from Chungking. I told him that our group would be small and probably not composed of more than five persons.
Mr. Chieh said that Mr. Berle had given him a copy of our agenda but that it would be helpful if we could give him some further information with regard to the subjects to be explored so that his Government could be in a better position to prepare for the talks. I replied that we would be glad to do so and I thereupon handed him a copy of our summary of objectives, indicating that this summary should be regarded as strictly confidential and as prepared on a technical level and to be used as a basis for discussion in the coming conversations. I also pointed out that our talks were to be informal and exploratory and merely an exchange of views to see if the various interested nations could find a common basis of agreement which would justify the holding of an eventual multi-lateral conference. I said that in the bi-lateral conversations we wished to include China in the first flight.
Mr. Chieh said that he would let me know as soon as he was in a position to suggest a date for the meeting.