Office of the Historian

961.53/10–1554: Telegram

No. 346
The Ambassador in the Republic of China (Rankin) to the Department of State1

secret
Taipei, October 15, 1954—5 p.m.

275. Department’s 228.2 Instructions re Soviet tanker in reference telegram carried out today in conversation with acting Foreign Minister. He will consult other members of government and give us reply.

Shen said no further efforts being made obtain defections among Soviet crew and defectors to date (16 or 19) being rescreened by [Page 765] Chinese to verify genuineness. French Embassy has instructions from Paris to interview crew members and will be allowed do so in day or two.

Minister noted Chinese Government had not yet formally acceded to request for asylum in case of Soviet crew members and would prefer not do so until United States position clear re willingness permit entry US.3 Uncertainty on this point he said was having bad effect on morale of defectors particularly since apparent reversal US position re admission Praca and Gottwald defectors who now giving trouble.

I urged US actions not be used as basis for delay in reaching decisions re Tuapse and crew, particularly since we were not party to dispute.

Shen anticipated early resolution in case of Tuapse crew, but could say nothing more about disposal of ship. (See third [fourth] paragraph my September 13 letter to McConaughy.)4

Rankin
  1. Also sent to Paris, USUN at New York, Moscow, and Warsaw.↩
  2. Not printed, but see footnote 5, Document 329.↩
  3. Attorney General Brownell announced on Oct. 22 that the United States would admit 22 Polish seamen from the crews of the Praca and President Gottwald.↩
  4. Document 294. The paragraph citation was corrected by hand on the source text.↩