Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Volume III, China, Microfiche Supplement

566. Letter 27 from Johnson to McConaughy¹

Letter No. 27

Geneva, April 8, 1956

Dear Walter:

I returned last night from Prague and was very interested in reading your letter No. 36 giving further details on Krishna Menon’s recent conversations. I greatly appreciate your keeping me so fully and completely informed on this. It would seem from the written Memorandum of Conversation that Menon’s approach carries more of the flavor of his own ideas than that of a message from Peiping. I would certainly agree that we should not at this time give any consideration to assenting to his suggestion. In fact, it seems to me that in some ways the meeting with someone designated as the President’s personal and special envoy carries with it from our standpoint even greater disadvantages than a meeting of the Foreign Ministers. It is also quite obvious that it would tend to give the impression, which Peiping would probaly be quick to exploit, that there is a divergence of view between the President and the Department with respect to the Chinese Communists.

I am enclosing a separate letter on more general subjects.

Sincerely yours,

U. Alexis Johnson
American Ambassador

1. Source: Department of State, Geneva Talks Files, Lot 72D415. Secret; Eyes Only; Official–Informal. Johnson signed the original “Alex.” The enclosure is printed as Document 567.