691. Letter 52 from McConaughy to Johnson1
We hope to get the interviews with the Chinese prisoners under way soon through the medium of the American Red Cross. Following the definitive Indian refusal to participate on July 25 (copy of Amb. Mehta’s letter is enclosed for your files) we got to work on an alternative procedure. There was general agreement that the American Red Cross was the best organization to do the job following the Indian default.
Mr. Robertson had Ellsworth Bunker in on August 1 to put the proposition to him. Mr. Robertson reviewed the history of our decision to extend the provisions of the Agreed Announcement to the Chinese prisoners, the abrupt reversal of the Chinese Communist position on the Chinese prisoners, and the resultant Indian Embassy inability to act. He pointed out the obligation which rested on us to follow through on our initiative and outlined the reasons why he thought the Red Cross was the logical agency to conduct the interviews.
Mr. Bunker’s reaction was most favorable. He showed a sympathetic understanding of the problem and foresaw no difficulties in Red Cross assumption of the role. He characterized the function as appropriate [Facsimile Page 2] to the Red Cross in that it had a humanitarian purpose and was non-political. He said that he would want to consult his Board as a matter of procedure but he felt confident that no objections would be raised. He felt that Mr. Robertson could safely assume that official Red Cross response would be affirmative.
We confirmed our request to the Red Cross by a letter dated August 2, a copy of which is enclosed.
I hope we can get the Red Cross under way on the interviews by the week of August 13. There are quite a few details to be worked out with the Federal and State officials. Appointments will have to be made through the Wardens and we will have to look into the problem of interpreters in the cases of the prisoners who speak no English. Some of them may speak only Cantonese or Toishan dialect.
Ralph Clough has sent Dave a massive document compiled in Defense concerning the unaccounted for 450. It is supposed to be a compilation of all the recently discovered evidence. We are not very hopeful that it has much that is new or useful to us. But it should be [Typeset Page 1129] gone through carefully and we believe Dave is the man for this job. We are still very hard pressed here. We will be interested in getting Dave’s analysis of the document. Col. Monroe is in Korea where he is supposed to needle our people on the MAC to renewed action on the issue of the missing military personnel. We are not sanguine that anything significant will come out of the MAC on this but the further effort needs to be made.
[Facsimile Page 3]We have not yet had any reply from the British on our request of July 20 that O’Neill renew insistently his request to see all the American prisoners. I intend to ask Arthur de la Mare, the new Counselor of the British Embassy for Far Eastern matters, to send out a tickler on this to O’Neill today. We would like to have some news on this for you before the August 9 meeting.
We have received word from the British that the Foreign Office in Peiping informed them that Bishop Henry Pinger is to be released “tomorrow” (presumably August 4) upon expiration of his sentence. This will reduce the number of American prisoners to 10. But the last 3 to be released have been compelled to serve their full sentences. Wang cannot claim that they were released “expeditiously” or that the so-called “policy of leniency” has been applied in their cases. In our next guidance telegram we may suggest that you make an observation on this at the next meeting. Also we may suggest that you raise the matter of the violation of the Agreed Announcement in the case of Father Clifford. You will recall from Hong Kong telegram that his request for permission to write O’Neill was refused by the Chinese Communists. The British Charge still has not heard from half of the imprisoned Americans. It is highly probable that the request of others have also been denied.
An amusing footnote to the petition of the American Communist Party of the State of Connecticut to Mao Tse-tung for the release of Downey and the other imprisoned Americans, is a report we have received that the National Communist Party headquarters in the U.S. reprimanded the head of the Connecticut Party organization for his temerity in forwarding this request to Peiping. [Facsimile Page 4] Apparently it was considered a breach of Party discipline.
Tell Dave we are glad to hear that he will remain in the Foreign Service Class 4 rather than going to the new Class 5. We have just heard that he is on the list of those who were recommended for promotion by the last Selection Board, and therefore will be placed in the new Class 4.
I suppose you have seen the Departmental Circular No. 185 which implements the new Foreign Service Act which the President signed July 28.
Things are a little bit disrupted with Herman Phleger in London with the Secretary, and Walter Robertson away on leave until August 20. [Typeset Page 1130] The Judge should be back today so the ranks will not be dangerously thin.
Regards to all,
Sincerely,
Enclosures:
- 1.
- Copy of letter from Amb. Mehta dated July 25, 1956.
- 2.
- Copy of letter to Mr. Bunker dated August 2, 1956, with Tab E.
- Source: Department of State, Geneva Talks Files, Lot 72D415. Secret; Official–Informal.↩