Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, East Asia and the Pacific, Volume XII, Part 2

690B.9321/10–2953

No. 117
Memorandum of Conversation, by David McK. Key, Adviser to the United States Delegation at the General Assembly

confidential

[New York,] October 29, 1953.

Subject:

• Burmese Item¹

Participants:

• U Myint Thein, Burmese Delegation
• Ambassador Key, U.S. Delegation

I gave U Myint Thein a copy of the statement issued by the Joint Military Committee in Bangkok on October 29.²

U Myint Thein expressed appreciation and stated that this development was very helpful: it would render possible a constructive discussion of the Burmese item when this come before Committee One by creating an improved atmosphere.

He said that the announcement would enable him to follow a relatively mild line in his opening statement: while refraining from any attacks on the Chinese Government for its failure to induce a larger number of Chinese irregulars to evacuate Burma he would, however, have to make it clear that this number fell well below Burmese expectations and that the problem posed to Burma by the presence of foreign troops still remained essentially unchanged, that is to say, that whereas previously there were 12,000 irregulars who had to be dealt with, there would now still be 10,000. He would, therefore, voice the hope that efforts would continue to be made to induce additional irregulars to leave Burma. He would have to make it clear that in Burmese eyes the Chinese Government had not fulfilled the obligations set forth in the last Assembly resolution and that this problem could not be regarded as having been solved. The Chinese Government should not be permitted to consider this initial step as terminating the affair and closing the case.

So far as the November 15 date mentioned in the press release is concerned, U Myint Thein said that, of course, his Government was prepared to grant an extension if, as seems probable, additional time is required in order to carry out a bona fide evacuation. He would make this clear in the Committee if the question is raised.

U Myint Thein again repeated that he would not present any resolution nor would he encourage any move on the part of members of the Asian-African group to put forward a resolution.

1. The General Assembly decided on Sept. 17 to include in its agenda an item entitled “Complaint by the Union of Burma regarding aggression against it by the Government of the Republic of China: report of the Government of the Union of Burma.” For text of the Burmese Government’s report on the presence of foreign forces on its territory, submitted to the General Assembly on Sept. 10 in accordance with U.N. General Assembly Resolution 707 (VII), see U.N. document A/2468.
2. The statement announced that the Republic of China had given assurances that about 2,000 foreign forces and their dependents would be evacuated from Burma and that it would disavow those remaining in Burma and would not help them with supplies, that Burma had agreed not to interfere and to cooperate with the Joint Military Committee, and that the evacuation would begin during the first week of November. The statement was transmitted to the President of the General Assembly with a letter of Oct. 29 from the Chairman of the U.S. Delegation, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.; for text, see U.N. document A/C.1/L.71.