667. Telegram 2219 to Geneva1
2219. Verbatim text. For Johnson.
Following reply to Indian Ambassador’s letter June 25 being sent today:
QUOTE I acknowledge your letter of June 25 stating that your Government has instructed you that under the Agreed Announcement [Typeset Page 1077] of September 10, 1955 the Embassy of India can act only in cases of Chinese who request it to do so and only if the Chinese Communists so desire. You further state that since you have no authorization from the Chinese Communists to visit the Chinese prisoners in this country you are unable to do so.
While the United States was of the view that the announcement did not apply to Chinese criminals in U.S. prisons, nevertheless in order not to furnish any basis for the further refusal of the Chinese Communists to permit Americans in China to return to the United States, it determined to make the necessary arrangement to permit such Chinese prisoners to return if they so desired.
The United States decision was made in the light of the insistent representations of Chinese Communist Ambassador Wang Ping-nan at Geneva, that the Agreed Announcement was applicable to Chinese prisoners and strongly [Facsimile Page 2] criticizing the U.S. for not permitting them expeditiously to leave the U.S.
The decision of this Government was also taken in the light of inquiries from your Embassy as to whether Chinese prisoners had been informed of the Agreed Announcement, and in the light of informal requests from your Embassy for a list of Chinese prisoners.
Following a survey by the U.S. Government to identify all prisoners of Chinese nationality in U.S. Federal or State prisons and after advising your Embassy on May 31 of our plans, this Department on June 13 sent a letter to all the Chinese prisoners informing them that they would be visited for the purpose of ascertaining whether they elected to return to China. A copy of this letter was sent you on June 18. The prisoners now expect a visit pursuant to this statement.
We have assured the prisoners that we will give them free choice between the courses which have been presented to them. In order for this choice to be universally accepted as a free one, we believe it is important that the representatives stipulated in the Agreed Announcement, namely the Indian Government representative, visit the prisoners. This action would be in compliance with Section 2A of the Agreed Announcement.
It is earnestly hoped that you will seek on a priority basis a reconsideration of the decision of your Government.
I appreciate all that you have done to assist us with this difficult question. UNQUOTE
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/6–2756. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by McConaughy and Clough.↩