Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume XII, Part 1

670.901/12–3154: Circular telegram

The Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic and Consular Offices¹

secret

Washington, December 31, 1954—4:10 p.m.

340. For Chief of Mission. With reference to Colombo Powers communiqué² and Afro-Asian Conference,³ Secretary at press conference Dec 31 pointed out conference does not directly concern US which not Afro-Asian nation and of course not invited. Conference and question of who should attend is primarily concern of other countries rather than US. When asked whether there conflict between attendance proposed meeting and membership Manila Pact, Secretary said purposes of conference not clear to him after reading communiqué and he could not yet express opinion. Supposed that would be question to be judged by Asian members Manila Pact.

Department seriously concerned eventual implications and most interested to avoid damaging effects this conference. In formulating US position Department aware of danger that Chinese Communists would utilize conference as sounding board for propaganda and might succeed in creating appearance of unity between Communist and non-Communist Asian and African states and appearance of division between Asian and African non-Communist states and West. Department also aware Chinese Communists will be carefully prepared and that Chou En Lai has formidable capacity for dominating conference and utilizing others for own ends. On other hand Department appreciates considerations set forth Delhi’s 891⁴ to Dept and aware of dangers involved in US attempting exert pressure on friendly states decline invitation because of possibility these states being branded US puppets or failure succeed keeping them away. Such course of action would also invite difficulties in US relations Colombo Powers as Conference sponsors.

In formulating US position it will be helpful have as soon as possible your views (without explicitly questioning local government) as to (a) attitude of country to which you accredited towards attendance (b) likelihood that country could be persuaded decline invitation (c) degree to which country could be expected cooperate in combatting Communist efforts if it did attend and (d) would country delegation provide competent leadership.

In answering press inquiries as to US position regarding conference you should for time being follow noncommittal line adopted by Secretary. If questioned by representative of government to which you accredited you should say US is studying implications of proposed conference and would be greatly interested in views of friendly countries.

Dulles

1. Sent to Bangkok, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Saigon, Vientiane, Manila, Tokyo, Kabul, Addis Ababa, Amman, Ankara, Baghdad, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus, Jidda, Tehran, Monrovia, Accra, Khartoum, and Salisbury. Repeated for information to Colombo, Djakarta, Karachi, New Delhi, Rangoon, Seoul, Taipei, Canberra, Wellington, London, Paris (separately to USRO), and Hong Kong. Drafted by Sebald and cleared in C, G, S/P, and NEA as well as in FE.
2. Issued in Djakarta on Dec. 29 at the close of a 2-day meeting of the Prime Ministers of Burma, Ceylon, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan. Full text is printed in the New York Times, Dec. 30, 1954.
3. In the communiqué cited in footnote 2 above, the signatories had outlined plans for a conference of Asian and African powers to be held in Indonesia in April 1955, and had announced that 25 additional countries would be invited.
4. In this telegram, dated Dec. 30, the Embassy had outlined considerations which it believed would cause any boycott of the conference by powers friendly to the United States to work against U.S. interests. (670.901/12–3054)