Office of the Historian

210. Message From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Secretary of State1

Honolulu, April 21, 1955—10:55 a.m.

[Message No. 1.] It would appear that next pressures to be brought upon President by some allies and certain sections of US public opinion (such as ADA) will be for neutralization of Formosa under auspices of 48 nations signing Japanese peace treaty. It is possible ChiComs would accept such solution for following reason:

1.
Would liquidate military forces on Formosa which now act as constant deterrent to Communist overt aggression in Korea and Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
2.
Would permanently remove concept of a free China as alternative to Red China for millions of overseas and mainland Chinese.
3.
Would be a face-saving out (for ChiComs) of present threatening situation involving possible atomic war with US.

Question: What assurances can we give Chiang that US will not be party to such neutralization plan which would mean end of Chiang and his regime.2

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.5800/4–2155. Top Secret; Eyes Only; Operational Immediate. Transmitted in telegram 212055Z from CINCPAC to CNO. Received at the Department of Defense at 5:37 p.m. This is the first of a series of messages sent to and from Robertson and Radford during their trip to Taipei, all sent through a secure channel prearranged by Admiral Radford. (Memorandum from Radford to Dulles, et al., April 20; ibid., 711.5893/4–2055) The source texts for the messages printed here are in a file labeled Secretary’s Book (Admiral Radford–Mr. Robertson Trip). Copies of the messages, together with memoranda of conversations and related documentation, apparently brought back from Taipei by Robertson, are filed with a covering memorandum of April 27 from Robertson to Dulles. (Ibid., 611.13/4–2755) An incomplete file of the messages, apparently brought back from Taipei by Radford, is in JCS Records, CJCS 091 China. Some of the messages in the Secretary’s file and all of those brought back from Taipei by Robertson and Radford are numbered as separate incoming and outgoing series; the bracketed numbers on the messages printed here appear on those attached to Robertson’s April 27 memorandum to Dulles.↩

  2. Acting Secretary Hoover replied in message no. 1 to Robertson and Radford, transmitted in telegram 222045Z from CNO to CINCPAC, April 22, which bears the notation that it was noted and approved by the President. It reads as follows:

    “I discussed your cable to Secy CINCPAC 212055Z with the President today.

    “It was clear from our conversation that any plan such as the one proposed at Bandung and referred to in your cable by which Formosa would be neutralized has never entered his mind, and that he would not consent to becoming a party to any proposal to liquidate our allies on Formosa. You may advise Generalissimo of our full realization of the implications of such a plan and our intention to oppose it.” (Department of State, Central Files, 711.5800/4–2155)

    Dulles was at his vacation retreat, Duck Island; he left Washington April 20 and returned April 25.

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