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

156. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, March 16, 1955¹

Washington, March 16, 1955

SUBJECT

• Oracle

PARTICIPANTS

• The Secretary
• Sir Roger Makins
• Mr. Merchant

During the course of a call on another subject, Sir Roger Makins informed the Secretary that London had said in connection with his report of his last conversation with the Secretary on Oracle² that it did believe it would be possible to galvanize the Security Council into action on a resolution after an attack had been launched on the off-shore islands or after it became clearly apparent that one was impending.

The Secretary reminded Sir Roger of the very great interest that New Zealand seemed to have in pressing ahead with the Resolution now. He said that on the question of timing he would like to consider the matter further and that he would endeavor to give a further answer to Sir Roger on Monday or Tuesday³ of next week.

The Secretary then said that the British could take it as definite that their informal proposal for the establishment by the Security Council of a group composed of the UK, USSR and India to examine into the Formosan situation was not agreeable to the U.S.

Sir Roger suggested that it might be possible to confine their terms of reference to the exploration of the possibility of a cease-fire. The Secretary gave him no encouragement whatsoever and merely observed that the Chinese Nationalists were themselves strongly opposed to a cease-fire and that the group of three suggested had no influence with the Republic of China. He added that we were prepared to police a cease-fire if it were obtained and felt that this was possible by reason of our exchange of notes with the Nationalists and their dependence on us for supplies. Clearly, the three governments suggested were in no position to accomplish any such policing themselves. On the other hand, if the three powers suggested could successfully exert their influence on the Chinese Communists, then we could exert an influence on the Nationalists. Any position for them as intermediaries was totally unacceptable.

Sir Roger then said he had been interested in his last talk with the Secretary in the expression by the latter of his views on Chinese Communist intentions, particularly with respect to Southeast Asia. He was therefore handing the Secretary a brief memorandum of the British appreciation on this matter. (Transmitted earlier to S/S for attachment to this memo.)⁴

There was a brief discussion of Krishna Menon’s talk earlier in the week with the President.⁵ The Secretary noted that neither the subject of Formosa nor Communist China had come up. The talk had been confined to internal developments in India, including the recent elections in Andhra, and the reasons why Menon felt for its development India required a socialist economic approach.

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/3–1655. Secret. Drafted by Merchant.
2. See Document 152.
3. March 21 or 22.
4. Not attached to the source text, but see the memorandum, infra.
5. V.K. Krishna Menon, Indian Representative at the United Nations, met with President Eisenhower and Secretary Dulles on March 15. A memorandum of the conversation and an incomplete transcript, both apparently prepared by Ann Whitman, are in Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, ACW Diaries.