Office of the Historian

CA files, lot 58 D 395, “Recognition of Communist Regime”

Memorandum by John L. Stegmaier, Acting Officer in Charge of Public Affairs, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, to Mr. Roberts of the United States Information Agency1

confidential
[Washington,] November 10, 1953.
  • Subject:
  • The Secretary’s Comments at his press conference of November 9, 1953 on Chinese Representation in the United Nations and Recognition of a Communist Government in China.

For your information in preparing guidance for USIA media on Secretary Dulles’ press conference comments on Communist China, the following points should be noted:

1.
The Secretary’s discussion of the question of recognition of Communist China and the position of the U.S. on the admission of Communist Chinese representatives to U.N. bodies was not a part of his prepared statement, but developed in the question-answer period of his conference.
2.
His statements were made in clarification and restatement of factual situations—clarification of the credential procedures of various U.N. bodies, restatement of some of the reasons the U.S. Government is unable even to consider the question of the recognition of the Chinese Communist regime as the government of China.
3.
There is no indication that the Chinese Communist regime has any intention or ability to meet the conditions indicated by the Secretary as prerequisites to the consideration by the U.S. Government of the question of the recognition of the Chinese Communist regime as the government of China.
4.
No speculation or dissemination of speculations of possible changes in the policies of the U.S. on these questions is warranted.

  1. Concurrences by the Assistant Secretary for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) and the Director of the Office of Chinese Affairs (McConaughy).↩