312. Telegram 989 to Geneva1
989. For Johnson.
FYI Senator George delivered following confidential letter to Secretary shortly before his departure on 21st:
QUOTE On the eve of your departure for the Geneva Conference, permit me, as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to wish you a pleasant and a successful conference.
I hope it may be of some help to you to know that as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and as far as I am authorized to speak for the Committee, my position is that there are some matters before the ambassadorial conferees that ought to be concluded before any further steps are taken.
The Chinese Communists first should release the American prisoners they have promised to free and they should give some accounting of the 450 soldiers who remain unaccounted for after the Korean War.
If they will do these things and make a public pledge to give up the use of force in any settlement of the Formosa issue, then we should be prepared to go ahead with a high level conference.
With my cordial regards to you for a pleasant trip and a safe return, I am UNQUOTE.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/10–2555. Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by McConaughy.↩