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

690B.9321/11–453: Telegram

No. 122
The Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China¹

secret
priority

Washington, November 5, 1953—6:39 p.m.

399. Your 260.² Alleged bombings while declared fabrication by Burmese (Rangoon’s 72 to Taipei)³ may be made use of by jungle generals, whether true or not, as pretext for hitch in evacuation following first token batch (para 2 your 260). As jungle generals evidently enjoy excellent communications with Formosa, suggest Chinese Government use this channel to rectify patent misconception US role and reiterate importance of prompt evacuation 2000 to China’s position before UN and world.

US far from “siding with Burmese” has made every effort place Chinese position best possible light in current UN debate. Base of this support will however be weakened if categorical Chinese commitments in UN (our 390 to Taipei),⁴ as well as Chiang’s assurances to President of best efforts for concrete results,⁵ are brought to nought through uncooperativeness jungle generals. Latter playing into hands of communists who impugn good faith US and China and assert no real evacuation ever intended at all. (UN has just suspended debate on issue to November 23, to verify if 2000 indeed evacuated during coming weeks. It is thus imperative evacuate 2000 soonest.)

Difficulties transportation to border are regrettable (your 260 para 3) but after Burmese withdrew from Committee Chinese Government volunteered evacuees would reach border under own power and this well over a month ago. Therefore hope jungle generals will overcome difficulties.

Assume Burmese denials of bombings transmitted Foreign Minister. Re last paragraph your 260 Department confident this unwarranted gambit will not cause Chinese Government weaken its determination continue, as will US Government, joint effort achieve maximum evacuation.

Smith

1. Repeated to Bangkok, Rangoon, and USUN.
2. Document 120.
3. Telegram 72 from Rangoon to Taipei, sent to the Department as 430, Nov. 4, is not printed.
4. Dated Nov. 3; it pointed out that Chinese Representative Tsiang, in a statement before the First Committee on Oct. 31, publicly committed the Chinese Government to evacuating at least 2,000 troops and disavowing those who remained in Burma. The Embassy was instructed to impress upon the Chinese Government the need to carry out the evacuation promptly. (690B.9321/10–3153)
5. Reference is to Chiang’s letter of Oct. 8 to Eisenhower; see footnote 4, Document 112.