Office of the Historian

247. Memorandum From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to Secretary of State Dulles0

Washington, November 18, 1958.

SUBJECT

  • Chinese Communist Note to the “Sixteen”

The British Embassy has circulated to representatives of the “Sixteen” copies of a note delivered to the British Chargé d’Affaires at Peiping by the Chinese Communists on November 10, 1958 (Tab A).1 The [Page 504] note is in reply to the British Charge’s communication of July 2, 1958 to the Chinese Communists, on behalf of the Governments participating in the UN Command in Korea (Tab B).2

The Chinese Communist note replies to the July 2, 1958 communication on behalf of both the Chinese Communists and the north Koreans. It states that the “Chinese People’s Volunteers” have completed their withdrawal from Korea and that should UN Command forces also be withdrawn the prospects for a peaceful settlement of the Korean question would “undoubtedly improve greatly”. It alleges that the introduction of new-type weapons into Korea and the establishment of a guided missile base in south Korea are proof as to who is carrying out aggression in Korea and who is working for a peaceful settlement.

On the question of elections, the note reaffirms the Communist position that, following the withdrawal of all foreign forces, all-Korea free elections should be held and that they can be conducted under the supervision of a neutral-nations organization; specific questions concerning the elections can be resolved through further consultations following the withdrawal of UN Command forces from Korea. In rejecting the “unilateral terms” of the UN for a settlement, the note states that the UN, under the domination of the United States, has been reduced to a belligerent in the Korean war and has lost all competence and moral authority to deal fairly and reasonably with the Korean question. The note concludes that the continued presence of UN Command forces in Korea is at present the main obstacle to a peaceful settlement and expresses the hope the Governments of the UN Command side would reconsider their rigid stand.

There is nothing new in this latest communication from the Chinese Communists. The British Foreign Office, in giving its preliminary views to Embassy London, commented that the note presented no new points and could probably be either ignored or merely acknowledged without substantive comment (Tab C).3 This is also our preliminary view. We will be consulting with other interested areas in the Department, however, regarding what action we should take on the note and will recommend a course of action to you in the near future.4

  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 795.00/11–1858. Confidential. Drafted by Barbis and approved by Lane and Howard Parsons.↩
  2. Not found attached. A copy of the Chinese note and the letter of transmittal from the British Embassy, also November 10, are attached to a November 13 memorandum from Dudley Miller in S/S to J. Owen Zurhellen in FE. (Ibid., 795.00/11–1058) See Supplement.↩
  3. Not found attached; see Document 229.↩
  4. Not found attached. A note on the source text indicates that airgram G–510 from London, November 14, was originally attached as Tab C. A copy of this airgram is in Department of State, Central Files, 795.00/11–1458.↩
  5. A reply to the Chinese note was approved by representatives of the “fifteen” on November 26 and transmitted to the Chinese Foreign Ministry by the British Chargé in Peking on December 5. The text was conveyed to Seoul in telegram 206, November 26. (Ibid., 795.00/11–2658) See Supplement. The reply also conveyed the text of the resolution on Korea adopted by the U.N. General Assembly on November 14.↩