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

577. Telegram 1892 to Geneva¹

Washington, April 16, 1956, 7 p.m.

1892. For Johnson.

Guidance for April 19 meeting.

1. Go over usual ground once more on implementation Agreed Announcement. Deplore long drawn out Communist flouting September 10 obligation. Observe that absence any developments whatever for 4 months affords clear evidence Communists have willfully ceased any pretense of compliance. State that effect on American public opinion, US Government’s estimate of dependability Chinese Communist pledged word and on US assessment of character Chinese Communist motives can only be adverse to progress in reaching further agreements. Place on record that 9 Chinese from US known to have crossed Hong Kong border March 18 and 7 more April 7, making total of at least 130 Chinese who have traveled from US to mainland China by ship via Hong Kong since talks began.

2. You granted full discretion as to introduction reformulation renunciation force draft at this meeting. If tactical situation seems to indicate desirability new move along this line on your part, you should introduce it. If you believe circumstances not propitious this meeting, you may refrain from introducing new draft. If draft not introduced meeting, you should in your discretion either lay groundwork for introduction at next meeting or continue urge merits last US proposal and give Wang full opportunity propose counter draft. If you do introduce revised US draft you should lay stress on lengths to which we have gone in effort to retain as much as possible Wang’s draft both in substance and form. You should point out new location self defense clause in preamble and express your belief Wang can find no reasonable grounds for objection to draft in this form. State you assume reference to right self-defense is as important from Wang’s standpoint as from ours. Recall that Wang has already implied he would be agreeable to inclusion reference to general area Taiwan in proper context. We believe new formulation affords context he should be able accept.

3. In order insure there will be no misunderstanding full text reformulation as approved by Department quoted verbatim below:

QUOTE

Second US Revision of Chinese Communist December 1 Counterproposal

1. Ambassador Wang Ping-nan, on behalf of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and Ambassador U. Alexis Johnson, on behalf of the Government of the United States of America, agree, without prejudice to the pursuit by each side of its policies by peaceful means or its inherent right of individual or collective self-defense, to announce:

2. The People’s Republic of China and the United States of America are determined that they should settle disputes between their two countries through peaceful negotiations without resorting to the threat or use of force in the Taiwan area or elsewhere;

3. The two Ambassadors should continue their talks to seek practical and feasible means for the realization of this common desire.

UNQUOTE

Dulles

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/4–1656. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by McConaughy; cleared in draft by Phleger and by Clough.