793.5 MSP/11–1754: Telegram

No. 395
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China

secret

297. Department, FOA and Defense have two memoranda dated November 12 from Chinese Embassy seeking additional military aid.1 First outlines Hsieh Plan which asks U.S. pay for (1) expansion facilities accommodate 63,000 additional trainees at one time (50,000 Army, 7,000 Navy, 6,000 Air) plus all maintenance, administrative etc. expenses (2) clothing and equipage for “the additional 341,700 men” (300,000 for Army, 26,000 Navy, 15,700 Air) (3) necessary expenses to fill up 20,700 vacancies in nine army divisions to bring them to full strength. Total cost estimated US $106,225,000 and itemized breakdown promised in due course. Comment: item “the additional 341,700 men” requires clarification.

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Second memorandum requests 4 destroyers, 6 destroyer escorts, 30 LST and 6 modern non-magnetic minesweepers and gives justification need and planned uses.

Assume you have similar proposals as indicated penultimate paragraph Section 3 your 340.2 Coordinate with MAAG, FOA, Service Attaches and cable joint comments soonest.

Dulles
  1. The memoranda were sent to the Department as enclosures to a letter of Nov. 12 from Ambassador Koo to Secretary Dulles, filed as an attachment to a letter of Dec. 14 from Robertson to H. Struve Hensel, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. (793.5 MSP/11–1254)
  2. Telegram 340 from Taipei, Nov. 11, commented on a tentative budget proposal for the Mutual Security Assistance program for the Republic of China for fiscal years 1955 and 1956. (794A.5 MSP/11–1154). The tentative budget figures had been sent to Taipei in telegram 279, Nov. 3. (794A.5 MSP/11–354)