August–October 1958, the Taiwan Strait Crisis: The Decision for U.S. Naval Escort of Nationalist Vessels; Resumption of Ambassadorial Talks at Warsaw; Diplomatic Efforts to Reduce Tensions; Secretary of State Dulles’ Visit to Taiwan and the Joint Communiqué of October 23, 1958


71. Memorandum of Conference With President Eisenhower

Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, DDE Diaries. Top Secret. Prepared by Goodpaster on September 8. The meeting was held during lunch at the White House.


72. Message From President Eisenhower to Prime Minister Macmillan

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, MacmillanLloyd Correspondence, 1958. Secret. Drafted by Dulles, approved by the President, and handed to Hood by Dulles at 5:10 p.m.


73. Telegram From the Chief of Naval Operations (Burke) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Felt)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/9–758. Top Secret; Operational Immediate. Drafted by Burke. Also sent to COMTAIWANDEFCOM(US) and COMSEVENTHFLT.


74. Telegram From the Embassy in the Soviet Union to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.00/9–758. Official Use Only; Niact. Transmitted in three sections. Received at 5:59 p.m. Repeated priority to London, Paris, Taipei, and Hong Kong.


75. Telegram From the Embassy in the Republic of China to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–858. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Received at 6:33 a.m. Passed to CINCPAC.


76. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–858. Top Secret. Drafted by Lutkins on September 11 and approved by Parsons for Robertson. The time of the meeting is taken from Dulles’ appointment book. (Princeton University, Dulles Papers)


77. Telegram From the Embassy in the Republic of China to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/9–1058. Top Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Repeated priority to CINCPAC.


79. Memorandum of Conversation Between President Eisenhower and Secretary of State Dulles

Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Drafted by Greene. The meeting was held at the White House. The time of the meeting is taken from Eisenhower’s appointment diary. (Ibid., Whitman File)


80. Message From Foreign Secretary Lloyd to Secretary of State Dulles

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204. Top Secret. Filed with a September 11 covering note from British Ambassador HAROLD CACCIA.


81. Letter From President Eisenhower to Chairman Khrushchev

Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204. No classification marking. Drafted in the Department of State except the last paragraph, which was added by Eisenhower; see paragraph 8, Document 79. The text was transmitted to Moscow in telegram 420, September 11, and telegram 423, September 12. (Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/9–1158 and 793.00/9–1258, respectively) Telegram 587 from Moscow, September 13, reported that Davis had delivered the letter to Kuznetsov. (Ibid., 611.00/9–1358) Text is also printed in Department of State Bulletin, September 29, 1958, pp. 498–499.


82. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/9–1258. Top Secret; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Lutkins. The time of the meeting is taken from Dulles’ appointment book. (Princeton University, Dulles Papers)


83. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/9–1258. Top Secret. Drafted by Green. The time of the meeting is taken from Dulles’ appointment book. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers) The documents cited in footnotes 1 and 2 below are in the Supplement.


84. Letter From Secretary of State Dulles to Prime Minister Macmillan

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/9–1258. Top Secret. Drafted by Dulles and cleared with FE. Dulles gave the letter to Caccia at 5:35 p.m.


85. Telegram From the Embassy in the Republic of China to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1358. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Received at 7:43 a.m.


86. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/9–1358. Secret. Drafted by Martin and approved by Robertson.


87. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1358. Secret; Niact. Received at 11:18 a.m.


88. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Poland

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1358. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Robertson and Martin, cleared by Green, and approved by Martin. Repeated priority to Taipei.


89. Telegram From Secretary of State Dulles to the Embassy in Poland

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/9–1458. Secret; Niact. Repeated priority to the Department as Dulte 1, which is the source text. Dulles was in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly which he was to address on Thursday, September 18.


90. Telegram From the Commander, U.S. Taiwan Defense Command (Smoot) to the Chief of Naval Operations (Burke)

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/9–1458. Top Secret; Priority. Received at 1:50 a.m. on September 15. Repeated to CINCPAC and COMSEVENTHFLT.


91. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1558. Confidential; Priority; Limited Distribution. Received at 2:35 p.m. Repeated to USUN.


92. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1558. Confidential; Niact; Limited Distribution. Transmitted in three sections. Received at 4:54 p.m. A notation on the source text reads: “Meeting No. 74.” The 73d meeting in the series of ambassadorial talks beginning on August 1, 1955, was held in Geneva on December 12, 1957.


93. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1558. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Received at 4:54 p.m. Repeated priority to USUN.


96. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Poland

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1558. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Lutkins; cleared in draft by Robertson, Green, and Martin; and approved by Parsons. Repeated priority to USUN for Robertson and to Taipei.


97. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Poland

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1658. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution. Apparently drafted by Dulles and his advisers in New York although the source text shows Robertson as the drafter. Approved by Parsons. Repeated to USUN for Robertson and to Taipei. According to notes by Phyllis Bernau of a telephone conversation at 12:11 p.m. that day between Dulles and Herter, Dulles said that Phleger, Becker, Robertson, and Reinhardt were working on a counterproposal. He said his general feeling was that “we should call for a cease-fire and say steps should be taken to limit the provocations and reduce military forces on the Islands and on the Mainland opposite.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations) According to Dulles’ appointment book, he met with Phleger, Becker, and Robertson from 6:10–6:45 p.m. to discuss the instructions to Beam; they were joined for part of that time by Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Andrew H. Berding. (Princeton University, Dulles Papers)


98. Memorandum of Conversation

Source: U.S. Mission to the United Nations, USUN Files, Formosa (1949–1962). Secret. Drafted by O’Sullivan and Robertson. The conversation was held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.


99. Special National Intelligence Estimate

Source: Department of State, INRNIE Files. Secret. A note on the cover sheet reads in part as follows:

“Submitted by the Director of Central Intelligence. The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and The Joint Staff.

“Concurred in by the United States Intelligence Board on 16 September 1958.”


100. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Poland

Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/9–1758. Secret; Niact; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Martin, cleared in draft by Herter and in substance by Robertson, and approved by Parsons. Repeated to USUN for Robertson and niact to Taipei. The documents cited in footnotes 35 below are in the Supplement.