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

495A.969/7–1050: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Philippines

secret   priority

Washington, July 10, 1950—12 noon.

54.1. Effective 1600 hours Washington time 28 June US embargoed all shipments North Korea. You are requested seek immed coop Phil Govt in preventing shipment from Phil arms, munitions, petroleum products and other strategic goods destined directly or ultimately for North Korea, in view situation arising from Commie aggression Korea and UN action thereon.

2. You are requested also to seek Phil Govt coop in establishing as soon as possible effective control machinery for surveillance of exports petroleum products and other classes strategic goods to China (including Manchuria and Taiwan) as well as to North Korea and other disturbed areas Far East. (Deptcircagam Oct 11, 1949 re export controls¹ and Embtel 155 Jan 13, 1950.²) Emb shld make clear this is not request for embargo all trade with China and areas other than North Korea, but request for controls on export strategic goods only. Your approach shld be in general terms, and FonOff informed you will be prepared submit later precise proposals re restrictive application controls. Dept’s formulation gen proposals described ref msgs has been delayed by complex factors involving difficulties making similar approaches to Indonesian and Indochinese Govts agreed on with Eur Govts, and necessity coop with Eur Govts in approaches Indonesia and Indochina. Mail instr containing detailed proposals will be pouched earliest.² FonOff may be informed that imposition controls over items included US Positive List will give full coverage all strategic goods, except arms, munitions. This list contains no Phil products except abaca (hemp) and Phil controls wld affect chiefly potential transit trade. Arms a munitions covered by separate instr.³ Dept desires however immed agreement in principle. Eur Govts cooperating and Indonesia, Indochina, Singapore and Hong Kong also expected cooperate.

3. Dept recognizes probable necessity for Phil Govt obtain legislative auth for imposition such controls.⁴

Acheson

1. Text in Foreign Relations, 1949, vol. ix, pp. 880–884.
2. Not printed.
2. Not printed.
3. Not printed.
4. In telegram 107, August 2, to Taipei (not printed), which dealt with the question of preventing transshipment of strategic goods from Taiwan to Communist China and North Korea, the Department of State informed the Embassy in the Republic of China that the Philippine Government had agreed in general terms to exercise control of exports pending legislative action to establish machinery for the effective surveillance and control of trade with the Communist areas (493.009/7–3150).