241. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and Frank Bartholomew, Head of United Press, Washington, March 3, 19571
At the Gridiron Club Dinner I sat next to the head of the UP. He spoke to me about the ban on newspaper people to China. He suggested the possibility that some arrangement might be made whereby one or possibly three persons would be agreed upon by all of the news media to go to China on a reporting mission and that if it could be handled in this way that would get away from the concept of a general breakdown of ostracism of the Chinese Communists and a beginning of “cultural exchange”.
[Page 493]I said that if indeed the news media could agree upon one person or not more than three to go to China on such a mission I thought we might be able to set it up in a framework which would be free of the difficulties which I had foreseen in any general relaxation of restrictions. I invited him to explore this further and he said he would do so. I likened the situation to where in time of war or under special conditions the news agencies agreed upon a pooling of their resources through one or a very limited number of persons.
I said I questioned whether the Chinese would accept this but nevertheless it might be a good try.
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversation. Official Use Only. Drafted by Dulles.↩