88. Letter from McConaughy to Johnson1
Doug Forman left this morning for Geneva. I believe he will be able to give you a useful fill-in on the thinking here and the general background of the decisions which have been taken. We took special pains to bring him in on meetings with both the Secretary and Mr. Robertson so he has the feel of their approach to the various problems.
Walter Robertson left at noon yesterday for a two weeks rest and sick leave at Meadow Farm and at Richmond. He wants us to keep him closely informed of any major developments, either favorable or unfavorable, this notwithstanding the fact that he is supposed to dismiss official cares while he is away. He saw your 457 and 458 just before he left on Sunday, and could not have been more emphatic in his reaction that we should not give up our main trading points in return for half a loaf or less. He felt that to do so would mean throwing in the sponge when we may have come close to the point of agreement on all the Americans. His view was generally shared by all who were working on the matter including the Secretary. Still a lot of thought went into the preparation of our 495.
Enclosed is an excerpt from a report we have received from Airman Benjamin in regard to Snoddy and Schwartz the pilots of the Downey-Fecteau plane mentioned in my last letter:
[Facsimile Page 2]“1. In a debriefing of the 11 airmen in Hong Kong and Tokyo, Airman Benjamin stated that he and Fecteau had become close friends during the period between 7 to 28 December 1954 when the airmen and Downey and Fecteau were held in the same cells. Airman Benjamin said that Fecteau had stated the following in regard to Snoddy and Schwartz, the pilots of the plane:
‘On the second pass the Chinese Communist guns opened up with incendiaries, the aircraft was hit and crashed… The plane was not badly smashed. I ran from the plane and feel badly that I did not check on the pilots. Several minutes later I heard shots and was captured. I was led down a trail stained with blood. Possibly the pilots are alive.’
Benjamin himself said that he thought he had seen the pilots in a group of prisoners and believed they were still alive.”
I do not believe that you can usefully exploit this information in your current talks. Let us know if you think differently.
[Typeset Page 107]We are looking forward to Ed Martin’s return on the 18th. No doubt he will be able to give us much illuminating background on the talks which will enable us to visualize the situation better.
We intend to arrange for him to see the Secretary shortly after his arrival.
I do not anticipate that Wang will precipitate a complete impasse at tomorrow’s meeting, but a message which the Secretary has just drafted suggesting the possibility of a two week recess and a public statement by us will cover that contingency.
Regards and good wishes,
Sincerely,
- Source: Department of State, Geneva Talks Files, Lot 72D415. Secret; Official–Informal. Printed from an unsigned copy.↩