82. Telegram 495 to Geneva1
495. For Johnson.
Your 457 and 458 presumably crossed our 492 which authorizes you to agree to joint statement as urged by Wang. This is only concession you should make at August 16 meeting apart from minor drafting changes not involving matters of substance. No retreat position as suggested by proposed substitute paragraph in latter part your 458 authorized and no possibility of any retreat position should be intimated.
We believe it essential to hold tenaciously to our basic position on return of all detained nationals as part of any agreement on representation before we proceed to discussion of Item 2 of Agenda. Wang is eager to obtain representation arrangement and to open up Item 2. If we yield on these key points before we obtain firm commitment covering all our nationals we are left without any suitable pressures which we can exert on behalf remaining detained nationals. It would be doubtful if we could obtain their release without responding to new demands made by Chinese communists under Item 2.
[Facsimile Page 2]You should maintain unremitting pressure on Wang for acceptance our principle, relying heavily on statements in Chou’s July 30 speech that “The number of American civilians in China is small and their question can be easily settled” and “it should be possible . . . to reach, first of all, a reasonable settlement of the question of the return of civilians to their respective countries.”
Draft text “agreed announcement” your 457 approved subject to observations below based on our 492.
(A) In Para. 1, first sentence, “Chinese mainland” preferable to “PRC”. You may concede this point if you consider advisable.
(B) In same sentence, “now” should be inserted before “entitled” and before “prevented” to make clear that declaration is subject to reasonable termination.
(C) Your Para 2 believed slightly less desirable than Para. 2 our 492, in that latter accords clear right of investigation to Embassy after initiative taken by a national entitled to return.
You should cable us promptly exact text you propose submit.
[Typeset Page 101]If you are unable induce Wang accept “agreed announcement” at August 16 meeting, you should express your regret at necessity for another meeting on Item 1.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/8–1355. Secret; Priority. Drafted by McConaughy; cleared in draft by Dulles and Sebald; cleared in substance by Robertson. The time of transmission is illegible.↩