The Taiwan Strait crisis; U.S. concern with the defense of Taiwan and the maintenance of peace in the Taiwan area; the Formosa resolution; efforts to bring the problem before the U.N. Security Council; negotiations leading to the Republic of China’s evacuation of the Tachen Islands with U.S. assistance; diplomatic efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to the crisis; the question of U.S. policy with regard to Quemoy and Matsu; the question of Nationalist response to the growth of Communist air power; the Robertson–Radford mission to Taipei; the U.S. response to Premier Chou En-lai’s proposal of negotiations; diplomatic efforts to obtain the release of American prisoners in the People’s Republic of China; negotiations leading to the establishment of the Ambassadorial talks at Geneva between representatives of the United States and the People’s Republic of China1
1. For previous documentation on this subject, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. xiv, Part 1, pp. 1 ff.
241. Memorandum of a Conversation, Washington, May 6, 1955, 10:30 a.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/5–655. Top Secret. Drafted by Dulles.
242. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, May 6, 1955, 3:08 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.56D/5–655. Secret. Drafted by Haring. The time of the meeting is from Dulles’ appointment diary. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers)
243. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, May 6, 1955, 3:37 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 670.901/5–655. Secret. Drafted on May 9 by Hart. The time of the meeting is from Dulles’ appointment diary. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers)
244. Telegram From the Acting Secretary of State to the Embassy in India
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/5–155. Secret; Priority. Repeated for information to Jakarta, Karachi, and Taipei. Drafted in CA, cleared in PSA and SOA and with Deputy Under Secretary Murphy and approved by Robertson.
245. Telegram From the Ambassador in the Republic of China (Rankin) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/5–955. Secret. Repeated for information to London, New Delhi, and Hong Kong and repeated to Paris for Robertson by the Department as Tosec 13, May 9. (Ibid.)
247. Telegram From the Ambassador in the Republic of China (Rankin) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/5–1155. Secret. Received at 10:21 a.m. Passed to CINCPAC by the Department at the Embassy’s request. Repeated to Paris for Robertson by the Department as Tosec 32, May 11. (Ibid.)
248. Telegram From the Chargé in the United Kingdom (Butterworth) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.00/5–1155. Secret. Received at 4:23 p.m. Repeated for information to Taipei and Hong Kong.
249. Memorandum of a Conversation, Vienna, May 14, 1955
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/5–1755. Top Secret. The source text, dated May 17, bears the following note: “Originally drafted by Secretary with later additions by Merchant. This final draft has been approved by the Secretary, Merchant, and Robertson.” The conversation took place in Vienna, at a dinner at the American Ambassador’s residence for the British, French, and Soviet Foreign Ministers; Dulles and the other Foreign Ministers were in Vienna for the signature of the Austrian State Treaty the following day. Dulles sent a brief report to the President of this conversation and other discussions at the dinner in Dulte 46 from Vienna, May 15, scheduled for publication in documentation on U.S. relations with Austria in a forthcoming volume.
250. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/5–1155. Top Secret. Approved and signed personally by Dulles, drafted in CA with revisions by Robertson, and cleared by Murphy and Phleger and with the Department of Defense. Repeated for information to CINCPAC.
251. Letter From the Secretary of State to the President
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Official Use Only. A copy is also in Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/5–1855. Drafted by Dulles. The source text was initialed by the President, indicating he had seen it.
253. Telegram From the Ambassador in the Republic of China (Rankin) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/5–2355. Secret; Priority.
254. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Secretary of State
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Top Secret; Personal and Private. Filed as an attachment to Document 258.
Sent via Murphy, who initialed, indicating his approval; a notation on the source text indicates that it was seen by the Secretary.
255. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 293.1111/5–2455. The source text bears the notation that it was seen by the Secretary.
256. Draft Letter From the Secretary of State to the Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China (Chou)
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Wang–Johnson Talks. This letter was not sent. The inside address reads: “His Excellency Chou En-lai, Foreign Minister, Peking, China.” The source text bears no indication of the drafter but includes handwritten insertions in Secretary Dulles’ handwriting: the second sentence in the first paragraph, the word “also” in the first sentence in the second paragraph, and the second sentence in the second paragraph through the word “China”. The second paragraph originally began with the following sentence: “The people of the United States favor any honorable action which will promote peace and are therefore willing to discuss the relaxing and elimination of tensions in the Taiwan Area.” No documentation indicating the origin of the draft or recording any discussion of it has been found in Department of State files or Eisenhower Library.
257. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in India
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/5–2355. Secret. Repeated for information to Jakarta, Karachi, London, and Taipei. Drafted in CA, cleared with the Secretary and in substance with Robertson, and approved in NEA.
258. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson)
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Top Secret.
259. Letter From the Indian Ambassador (Mehta) to President Eisenhower
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International Series. Top Secret; Most Immediate. Received in the Department of State on May 27 and forwarded to the President with a covering memorandum of that date from Hoover. A copy is also in Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/5–2755.
260. Telegram From the Ambassador in India (Cooper) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/5–2755. Secret; Niact; No Distribution.
261. Memorandum From the Acting Secretary of State to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.551/5–2855. Top Secret. This memorandum was apparently taken to Secretary Dulles at Duck Island by Hugh G. Appling of the Executive Secretariat. It bears a handwritten notation by Appling that it was seen by the Secretary on May 29. Dulles was at Duck Island May 27–June 2.
262. Memorandum of the Substance of a Conversation, Peking, May 26, 1955
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/5–2955. Secret. The source text bears the heading “Formosa: Substance of a conversation between Chou En-lai and Mr. Trevelyan in Peking on May 26”. It was given to Hoover in Washington by Makins on the evening of May 29, according to a memorandum of May 30 from Hoover to Dulles. (Ibid., 793.00/5–3055)
263. Telegram From the Consul General at Geneva (Gowen) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 293.1111/5–3055. Confidential; Niact. Repeated for information to London, New York, and Hong Kong.
264. Telegram From the Acting Secretary of State to the United States Mission at the United Nations
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.95A241/6–155. Secret; Niact.
265. Telegram From the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bohlen) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/6–655. Confidential.
266. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, June 10, 1955
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Confidential; Personal and Private.
267. Memorandum From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Sebald) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.9111/6–1055. Secret.
268. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, June 13, 1955
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/6–1355. Confidential. Drafted by Young. Initialed by Murphy, indicating his approval.
269. Memorandum of a Conversation With the President, Washington, June 14, 1955, 10:30 a.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.91/6–1455. Confidential. The time of the meeting is from the President’s appointment diary. (Eisenhower Library, President’s Daily Appointments) The source text is an unsigned carbon copy. A transcript of the President’s remarks during the conversation are Ibid., Whitman File, International Series.
270. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, June 14, 1955, 3:10 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/6–1455. Secret. The time of the meeting is from Dulles’ appointment diary. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers)