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

43. Report of New Zealand–United Kingdom–United States Working Party¹

[Washington,] January 26 [27], 1955.

CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN THE CHINESE OFF-SHORE ISLANDS

1. The Working Party submit for the approval of the three Governments the following agreed report on the New Zealand initiative in the Security Council. Further consideration by Governments of some of the recommendations may require the advice of their delegations in New York.

2. Timing of initiative in Security Council

The operation in the Security Council should be launched on January 28, 1955, by submission of the New Zealand Representative’s letter to the President of the Council (text attached at Annex A).² At an appropriate time beforehand

(a) United Kingdom representatives in Peking and Moscow will notify the Soviet and Chinese Communist Governments, acting on behalf of the New Zealand Government. The Working Party agreed that the démarches should concentrate on the seriousness of the situation, the importance of an early termination of hostilities and the importance of Chinese Communist attendance.

(b) The United Kingdom and New Zealand Governments will inform the other Commonwealth Governments.

(c) The New Zealand representative at New York will inform other members of the Security Council and the Secretary-General.

3. Notification to French Government

The New Zealand Representative will meanwhile take the French Representative into his confidence by informing him of the background of the New Zealand initiative and showing him the text of the proposed letter to the President of the Security Council, but will not disclose the existence of the agreed resolution (text attached at Annex B).³

4. Initial tactics in the Security Council

(a) The first meeting of the Security Council should be held on January 31, 1955.

(b) The New Zealand representative will not, in speaking to the adoption of the agenda, refer explicitly to the terms of the draft resolution.

(c) The New Zealand representative, in this speech, will suggest that a Chinese Communist representative be invited under rule 39. The United Kingdom representative will endorse this suggestion and the United States representative will agree. The President will then enquire whether the New Zealand proposal represents the sense of the meeting. If necessary, the proposal will be put to a procedural vote.

(d) Following the adoption of the agenda and of the proposal in (c), the Council will adjourn without substantive debate.

5. Further tactics in the Security Council

(a) The present intention is that, if the Chinese Communists accept the invitation to attend the Security Council, the New Zealand Representative will, at the first substantive meeting when they are present, submit the resolution at Annex B. Any other decision on timing, including the timing of the submission of a resolution in any other event, the timing of the first substantive debate, and the timing of any votes shall at all times be subject to consultation among the three Governments and shall, for a reasonable interval, in each particular instance, be subject to mutual agreement.

(b) It is the clear understanding of the three Governments that they will, unless otherwise agreed, make every effort to prevent any amendment of substance to the agreed resolution.

(c) In the handling of this item in the debate they will make every effort to prevent its enlargement to the discussion of the broader issues of Chinese representation in the United Nations and the respective claims of the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China to domestic sovereignty and international status. At the same time the three Governments will be at liberty to make it clear that if the step proposed, namely termination of hostilities in the off-shore islands can be carried out satisfactorily, that would, as a practical matter, increase the possibility of peaceful rather than violent adjustment of the other problems of the area in accordance with the principles and purposes of the United Nations.

(d) There is no commitment on any of the three Governments in regard to action in the United Nations in the event of Chinese Communist failure to attend after a reasonable interval, in the event of a veto of the resolution, or in the event of failure by the Security Council to secure a cease-fire. In any of these events the three Governments undertake to consult together.

6. Publicity

The three Governments will maintain close and continuing consultation with respect to publicity through their representatives in New York.

1. Source: Department of State, PPS Files: Lot 66 D 70, China. Secret. As revised by agreement at the meeting recorded in the memorandum supra and, at British request, on January 27. Copies of the report, both with and without the latter revision, were sent to Lodge with covering letters of January 26 and 27 from Key. (Ibid., Central Files, 793.00/1–2655 and ibid., ROC Files: Lot 71 D 517, 1954–1955, Offshore Islands, respectively) A memorandum of January 27 from Martin to Robertson states that the British Embassy had proposed a further revision of the last sentence of paragraph 5(a) and that the Secretary had rejected the proposal but had agreed to revise the sentence to read as printed below. (Ibid., Central Files, 793.5/1–2655)
2. See footnote 6, supra.
3. See footnote 5, supra.