Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, China, Volume II

120. Telegram From the Deputy Representative at the United Nations (Wadsworth) to the Department of State¹

New York, February 18, 1955—8 p.m.

492. For Key (IO) from Wadsworth. At his request I called on SYG Hammarskjold this afternoon. He handed me package containing four sets of photographic material covering jet fliers² together with covering letter addressed to Lodge. (Package being pouched tonight to Key.) He stated he would not disclose existence this material.

SYG then discussed at some length communication which he is now drafting for transmission to Chou concerning release of all 15 fliers. Final draft as transmitted will be available to USUN probably tomorrow,³ but major points generally as follows:

1. Four jet fliers not yet convicted: in view of lack of sufficient evidence over long period of incarceration, it would appear they are innocent. As SYG told Chou in Peiping, he considered them as having taken part only in legitimate operations in Korean War and should therefore be released, or parenthetically if Chinese Communists insist on their guilt, should be sentenced only to extradition.

2. The discussion here in US about the fliers issue after SYG’s return from Peiping has been moderate and restrained and has created proper atmosphere for progress. This was not achieved without considerable effort. However, public attitude must not be construed to reflect any reduction in public feeling which is just as strong as ever. SYG is convinced that both in the case of Arnold crew and the four jet fliers some formula for release would not only be highly proper but could not be misconstrued as disavowing Chinese Communist sovereign rights or impugning validity of Chinese Communist court decisions.

3. SYG calls Chou’s attention to fact that US refusal to grant passports for families of prisoners was announced as “for the time being”. He felt personally that the time was not favorable for such visits but hopes to be able to revert to proposal if and when such visits might be helpful. (SYG reported that Tchernychev,⁴ in a casual conversation on the over-all subject of the release of the 15 fliers, blurted out the opinion that Chou “could not” release them until their families had visited them.)

SYG is apparently consulting with members of his staff and possibly UK Delegation on wording of message. He at first gave me copy, but received phone call from unnamed person while I was in office who apparently suggested certain changes.

I told him of proposed US démarche in Geneva⁵ concerning non-UNC personnel and civilians still held captive. He volunteered the opinion that there should be comparatively little difficulty (given time lags) with 11 Navy and Coast Guard personnel,⁶ that Downey and Fecteau would be a far more difficult situation and might take several years, and that there was a definite connection, although unexpressed in Peiping, between US civilians in China and Chinese students in US.

USUN comment: During the entire conversation of approximately one hour, SYG was apparently on the defensive against criticism of intervention in the off-shore island situation through the medium of personal communications with Chou. He has also written Eden a lengthy letter⁷ from which he quoted passages, largely explaining his philosophy and the reasons why he acted as he did. He is also fearful that over-optimistic statements on the part of US officials expressing “confidence” might prove to be embarrassing to all concerned at a later date.

Wadsworth

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.95A241/2–1855. Secret; Limited Distribution. Received at 8:19 p.m.
2. The four U.S. airmen who had been shot down while flying under the U.N. Command in Korea and were imprisoned in the People’s Republic of China but had not been sentenced.
3. Telegram 499 from New York, February 21, transmitted the text of “Hammarskjöld’s communication of February 17 to Chou En-lai referred to in mytel 492”. (Department of State, Central Files, 611.95A241/2–2155)
4. U.N. Under Secretary Ilya S. Tchernychev.
5. Telegram 681 to Geneva, February 18, instructed Consul John C. Shillock to request a meeting with PRC Consul Hsiah Fei to discuss the Americans detained in China, apart from those who had been members of the U.N. Command. If a meeting was held, Shillock was to renew his request for information concerning the detained Americans and to stress the gravity and strength of U.S. opposition to the unwarranted detention of U.S. citizens. (Department of State, Central Files, 611.95A241/2–1855)
6. Reference is to six Navy personnel whose plane had been shot down near Swatow in January 1953 and five Coast Guard personnel whose plane had crashed the same day during rescue operations.
7. Not found in Department of State files.