Office of the Historian

200. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, August 7, 1956, 3:14 p.m.1

Washington, August 7, 1956, 3:14 p.m.

The Pres. returned the call, and the Sec referred to the problem re the invitation for correspondents to go to Red China. The Sec said he feels we should oppose it and read the statement.2 The Pres. said [Page 418] it is one of those things where you are dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t. The Pres. found out about it yesterday from Cy Sulzberger. The Sec. referred to the Geneva talks. The Pres. said to get in the thought that it is our policy to open up exchanges etc. but Red China has not made it possible for self-respecting countries to do it, etc.

[Here follows a discussion of cotton policy.]

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Telephone Conversations. Transcribed by Phyllis D. Bernau.↩

  2. On August 7, the Department released a statement relating to the Chinese invitation which reads as follows:

    “The Department of State has taken note of the fact that the Chinese Communist regime has announced that it has invited certain United States newspaper correspondents and commentators to visit Communist China.

    “The State Department has taken this occasion to review carefully its policy with respect to the non-issuance of passports validated for travel to Communist China. After such review, it continues to be the policy of the State Department not to issue such passports.

    “The United States welcomes the free exchange of information as between different countries irrespective of political and social differences. But the Chinese Communist regime has created a special impediment. It adopted the practice of taking American citizens into captivity and holding them in effect as political hostages. It continues to do so despite the fact that on September 10, 1955, at Geneva, it promised that all Americans in Communist China would be allowed expeditiously to exercise their right to return to the United States.

    “So long as these conditions continue it is not considered to be in the best interests of the United States that Americans should accept the Chinese Communist invitation to travel in Communist China.” (Department of State Bulletin, August 20, 1956 pp. 313–314)

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