71. Telegram From Ambassador U. Alexis Johnson to the Department of State1
833. 1. This morning’s meeting one hour twenty minutes.2 I led off with relatively brief but pointed statement on dissatisfaction with implementation, then made statement on renunciation of force3 giving Wang a copy.
2. Wang then made very long prepared statement replying my charges at last meeting on implementation, saying nothing new and rehashing old statements on item two. Alleged I had violated secrecy of talks by informing press I had raised subject missing military personnel.
3. In reply my brief rebuttal pointing out best my knowledge UK Chargé had no answers questions on implementation, replied so far as he knew no “formal” approach from UK Chargé.
4. He made brief ad lib reply our renunciation of force statement using same arguments as previous meetings.
5. I replied briefly emphasizing importance and carefully considered character our statement, made no charges against PRC, did not propose his government say anything my government not prepared to say, was made in most earnest desire contribute progress these [Page 119] talks, and was put forward as earnest, constructive effort deal with problems he and I called upon deal with here. Asked for careful study and considered reply by his government.
6. He asked I be prepared next meeting discuss embargo. I pointed out my statement today dealt with timing discussion this subject. In reply he again rejected any concept of fixed order of discussion. I pointed out today’s statement dealt with matter from important substantive aspect rather than procedural.
7. With respect allegation on leaks to press replied both he and I knew reports were not accurate, therefore clearly did not originate with me but were probably assumptions based on earlier public statements made in US even before beginning these talks. He did not pursue subject.
8. Next meeting Friday, October 14.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/10–855. Confidential; Niact; Limited Distribution. Received at 8:02 a.m. The transmission time on the source text is midnight.↩
- Guidance for the meeting was sent to Johnson in telegram 838 to Geneva, October 6. Johnson had proposed in telegram 817 from Geneva, October 5, shifting tactics at the next meeting by omitting all reference to implementation and concentrating on renunciation of force. Telegram 838 to Geneva rejected this suggestion but authorized him to confine his remarks on implementation to a “short but emphatic recall of total Chinese Communist non-performance since September 10” and then to present the U.S. statement on renunciation of force. It instructed him to try to arrange future meetings at least a week apart, stating that other demands on the Secretary and other senior officers of the Department were so heavy that the developments at Geneva could not be appraised and new instructions approved if meetings were held at intervals of only 3 or 4 days. (Both Ibid., 611.93/10–555)↩
- The statement sent to Johnson in telegram 789 to Geneva, September 27 (Document 65), and telegram 86 to Prague, September 30 (see footnote 3, ibid.). The text is printed in Department of State Bulletin, January 30, 1956, pp. 166–167.↩