784. Letter from Johnson to McConaughy1

Dear Walter:
[Facsimile Page 1]

I have just received the Radio Bulletin containing your January 30 statement.

It is an excellent job and the most convincing statement we have put out. It should do much to dispel the doubts of those who have felt that there must be some fire behind the Chicom smoke screen.

I see in the New York Times we even got some grudging support out of New Delhi.

With respect to the next to the last paragraph of the statement, it is excellent from my and a public relation standpoint. However, are we not going to have to be careful not to get ourselves into the box of in effect making an open ended commitment to deport to Communist China any Chinese alien who desires to go there regardless of the crime he may hereafter commit. I have tried to skirt around this in the talks [Typeset Page 1319] by sticking to the 34. We can of course meet this problem if and when it arises. I do not believe the statement as drafted does commit us but it may carry that implication. In this connection do you have any information on arrests of Chinese aliens subsequent to the survey that turned up the 34?

I have heard from Dave that London refuses to release Ed. I know this must be very disappointing to you as it is to me. It seemed to be the ideal solution. I will be open to any other suggestion you may have.

Incidentally, I have written to Ed Freers about coming back on a couple of weeks consultation this spring—perhaps around April or May—if there continues to be a [Facsimile Page 2] months gap between meetings. I told him to get in touch with you if he thought well of it. It will have then been close to two years since I was home and there is much I would like to talk over both on FE and EUR matters.

Regards to all.

Sincerely yours,

U. Alexis Johnson
  1. Source: Department of State, Geneva Talks Files, Lot 72D415. Confidential; Official–Informal. Johnson signed the original “Alex.”