Office of the Historian

793.5/11–1853: Telegram

No. 154
The Ambassador in the Republic of China (Rankin) to the Department of State1

confidential
Taipei, November 18, 1953—5 p.m.

287. Recent statements by United States Congressmen and others favoring some kind of a defense pact to include Republic of China have been paralleled although apparently not directly stimulated by informal Chinese suggestions for a United States–China Security Pact along lines of those signed with Philippines, Japan and Korea.2

For example Chinese Foreign Minister mentioned matter to Vice President Nixon during latter’s Formosa visit as something to think about.

Official opinion here would expect no important practical changes in US support for free China as result of concluding security pact. However such pact would be regarded as having considerable political significance and would allay fears of possible shift in United States policy toward recognition and United Nations admission of Peiping regime. In other words United States policy toward free China would be widely considered to have assumed medium to long term instead of short term character. Grievance that security pact given to ex-enemy Japan and withheld from ally China also would be removed.

Rankin
  1. Repeated for information to Tokyo, Manila, and Seoul.↩
  2. For the text of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of Korea and the United States, signed at Washington on Oct. 1, 1953, see TIAS 3097 or 5 UST (pt. 3) 2368.↩