598. Telegram 1967 to Geneva1
Washington, May 9, 1956, 6:01
p.m.
1967. For Johnson.
Guidance for May 11 meeting.
- 1.
- Instructions Deptel 1943 intended for last week considered still valid. You should be governed by them at May 11 meeting.
- 2.
- Your 1841. Department has no intelligence which would shed light on reason for Wang postponement request. Appears likely request related his Warsaw duties. We doubt the Foreign Office reception May 8 would have required him cancel Geneva meeting May 5 but presence Chinese Communist Economic Mission in Warsaw headed by Nan Han-ch’en may afford explanation. As Chairman Committee on International Trade and member Standing Committee National People’s Congress Nan is figure of considerable importance although not of top hierarchy. If group is actually purchasing complete industrial installations in Poland as reported its negotiations may assume fairly high priority.
- 3.
- If postponement request related to tactics at Geneva (which considered unlikely) only known current development which would seem relevant is pending Chinese Communist request of April 9 for multilateral conference on Korea. It is just conceivable that Peiping’s tactics in [Facsimile Page 2] pressing at Geneva for high level conference may be conditioned by what Peiping can learn of initial reaction of 16 UN nations to Chinese Communist note of April 9. Meetings of representatives 16 countries held in Department May 4 and May 9.
For your background, reaction of 16 to conference proposal strongly negative. This information highly classified at this stage but with so many countries involved immediate leak to Chinese Communists must be considered as probable. Hence Chinese Communist tactics for future Geneva meetings presumably can be devised in light of this knowledge.
Dulles
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/5–956. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by McConaughy; cleared by Phleger and Hemmendinger (NA).↩