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 China 1
1. For previous documentation on this subject, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. xiv, Part 1, pp. 1 ff.
271. Telegram From the Ambassador in the Republic of China (Rankin) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/6–1555. Top Secret. Passed to CINCPAC by the Department at the Embassy’s request.
272. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and Krishna Menon, New York, June 15, 1955, 6:15 p.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversation. Secret; Personal and Private.
273. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, San Francisco, June 19, 1955, 9:30 p.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles on June 20. A note on the source text indicates that the conversation took place en route from the airport to the President’s hotel and at the hotel. The President was in San Francisco to address the United Nations the following day.
274. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and British Foreign Secretary Macmillan, San Francisco, June 20, 1955, 4:45 p.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversation. Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles.
275. Instruction From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.56393/6–2255. Secret. Drafted in CA, cleared in draft with the Department of Defense and with L, and approved by Robertson. Repeated for information to CINCPAC, COMFEAF (Tokyo), CINCFE (Tokyo), and CGAFEE (Yokohama).
276. Memorandum of a Conversation, San Francisco, June 23, 1955, 1:15 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 396.1 GE/6–2355. Extract. Top Secret. Apparently prepared by the Secretary, although the source text is unsigned and bears no indication of the drafter. The conversation took place during and after luncheon at Foreign Minister Molotov’s residence during the San Francisco meetings in Hillsborough, California. The other subjects of discussion related to the forthcoming conference at Geneva and to the United Nations.
277. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, June 23, 1955
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/6–2355. Secret. Drafted by McConaughy. The source text bears Robertson’s initials. Separate memoranda of conversation by McConaughy record discussion of two other subjects during the same conversation: a proposal for the construction of a new airbase at Kung Quan (Kung Kuan), in which Ambassador Koo expressed interest, and a Chinese request for supplemental defense support funds. (Ibid., 711.56393/6–2355 and 793.5/6–2355, respectively)
278. Telegram From the Consul General at Geneva (Gowen) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/6–2355. Confidential; Niact. Repeated for information to New York, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, and the U.S. Delegation at the U.N. meeting in San Francisco.
279. Telegram From the Chargé in the Republic of China (Cochran) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/6–2855. Secret. Passed to CINCPAC and CNO by the Department at the Embassy’s request.
281. Telegram From the Representative at the United Nations (Lodge) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.95A241/7–155. Confidential; Priority.
282. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, July 1, 1955, 2:27 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751H.5–MSP/7–155. Secret. Drafted by Sebald. The time of the meeting is from Dulles’ appointment diary. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers) For the one revision made on the source text by the Secretary, see footnote 3 below.
283. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, July 1, 1955, 4:10 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.00/7–155. Secret. Drafted by Allen. The time of the meeting is from Dulles’ appointment diary. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers) The source text bears a notation which indicates it was seen by the Secretary.
284. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, FE Files: Lot 56 D 679, Communist China. Secret. The source text is an unsigned carbon copy.
285. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/7–255. Top Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted and approved in CA and cleared in substance with Robertson.
286. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and Burmese Prime Minister U Nu, Blair House, Washington, July 3, 1955, 7 a.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 033.90B11/7–355. Secret. For another description of this conversation, see U Nu, U Nu: Saturday’s Son (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1975), pp. 250–251. U Nu states that Dulles “volunteered the information that recognition of the People’s Republic of China could not be withheld forever” and that he suggested to Dulles raising the consular-level talks with the Chinese to the ambassadorial level.
287. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the Under Secretary of State (Hoover)
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Wang–Johnson Talks. Secret. Drafted by Dulles; also sent to Murphy, Robertson, Phleger, and MacArthur.
288. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, July 6, 1955
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.00/7–655. Secret. Drafted by Allen.
289. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in Italy
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.11–EI/7–755. Secret. Drafted by Dulles.
290. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5–MSP/7–855. Secret.
291. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/7–855. Secret; Priority. Drafted, approved, and signed by the Secretary; cleared with EUR.
292. Message From British Foreign Secretary Macmillan to the Secretary of State
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Eden–Macmillan–Lloyd Correspondence, 1955–56. Secret. A copy is filed in Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204, Macmillan to Dulles. Sent with a covering note of July 10 from British Embassy Counselor Adam Watson.
293. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in the United Kingdom
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/7–1155. Top Secret; Priority. Drafted, approved, and signed by Dulles; cleared with Robertson and Merchant. Dulles’ preliminary drafts of the first two paragraphs are in Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Wang–Johnson Talks.
294. Telegram From the Ambassador in Egypt (Byroade) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/7–1155. Top Secret; Priority. According to a handwritten notation by Goodpaster, a copy was seen by the President on July 12. (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International Series)
295. Telegram From the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Aldrich) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/7–1255. Top Secret; Priority; Limited Distribution. Received at 2:08 p.m.
296. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Top Secret.
297. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in India
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/7–1255. Top Secret; Niact; No Distribution. Drafted and signed personally by Dulles. Repeated to London for information as telegram 200 for the Ambassador from the Secretary. The message to Nehru was sent to the President in draft with the memorandum supra; he made one change, as indicated in footnote 4 below.
298. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/7–1255. Top Secret. The source text bears a notation that it was seen by the Secretary.
299. Telegram From the Chargé in the United Kingdom (Butterworth) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/7–1455. Limited Distribution. Repeated for information to Paris for the Secretary. Dulles was in Paris for meetings with the British and French Foreign Ministers in preparation for the Geneva Summit Conference.
300. Letter From Burmese Prime Minister U Nu to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 790.00/7–1455. Top Secret. Text was transmitted to Secretary Dulles in Tedul 12 to Geneva, July 16. (Ibid., 611.93/7–1655) This letter was apparently classified by the Department of State.