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

690B.9321/9–1253: Telegram

No. 95
The Ambassador in Thailand (Donovan) to the Department of State¹

secret

Bangkok, September 12, 1953—3 p.m.

498. Part 1. Reference Part 1, Embassy’s 473.²

Consultation with CAT³ and Thai representatives indicates Lampang Airfield suitable C–46 operation with steel planking for parkway which Thai agree put in. Committee accepted US proposal airlift Lampang–Taiwan eliminate Chiengmai.

Part 2.

Sub-committee after meeting with Li Wen-pin proposed at committee meeting September 10 changing first sentence paragraph 5a (11) (Part 2 Embassy’s 473 to Department, repeated Taipei 42, Rangoon 49) to read:

• “(a) The foreign forces will notify the joint committee as soon as the foreign forces clear the principal places, namely: Mong Ton, Monghsat, Mong Yawng, Mong Mao, Mong Yang, Pang Yang.
• “(b) The Union of Burma troops will march in and occupy the above-mentioned places as soon as they are notified by the joint committee.”

The remainder of paragraph to remain intact.

China and Thailand accepted the proposal, Burma and US deferred. Meeting joint committee September 12 US representative accepted change. Acceptance now depends on Burmese who awaiting instructions his government.

Part 3.

US representative again requested number evacuees and asked for suggestions. Burma had none. Thai stated estimate necessary. China representative stated will ask his government and repeated latter not in position to determine and chance of estimate from it remote. Also stated does not like to see item on expenditure stand in way solution.

Cost estimate based on 503,000 nearing completion by Thailand. Burma estimate awaiting information on cost shipment arms.

Comment: Appears now committee agreement on new evacuation plan approaching unless situation described in Rangoon’s 216⁴ to Department reflected in stronger instructions to Burmese representative. It is clear Burma will not agree to implementation of plan until reasonable estimate number evacuees produced by China. Recommend strong pressure Chinese Nationalist Government obtain estimate from Li Mi and instruct Colonel I give same committee. In view various trips Burma Chinese leaders, communication facilities Li Mi and guerrillas and various Taipei telegrams, believed here that Li Mi must be able provide reasonably close estimate number evacuees. Guarded optimism may now be justified but we are concerned about recent separate conversations which Ambassador and Brown have had with Chinese Chargé in which he stated his opinion result will be only token evacuation.

Donovan

1. Repeated to Taipei and Rangoon.
2. Supra.
3. Civil Air Transport, Inc., was to fly the evacuees from Thailand to Taiwan.
4. Dated Sept. 9; it stated that press reports indicated increasing Burmese “exasperation” over the apparent failure of the Bangkok talks to produce concrete results, continuing “intentionally misleading statements” by the Chinese generals, and reports of continuing air supply. The Burmese Government had reportedly sent instructions to its delegation at Bangkok to end the talks if the Chinese did not agree to complete withdrawal. (690B.9321/9–953)