Foreign Relations of the United States, 1958–1960, China, Volume XIX

118. Memorandum of Conversation⁰

Washington, September 22, 1958, 8:45 a.m.

• The Secretary
• General Cabell
• Mr. Bissell¹

General Cabell said that weather conditions were at the moment propitious for an aerial inspection along the China coast designed to disclose particularly the Communist naval dispositions and to confirm the presumed movement of troops from the interior.

I said I felt that in the light of the very tense situation and the possibility that it might come up in the United Nations, we should not engage in what admittedly would be a violation of the air space of Communist China. I said that if he wished I would discuss this with the President on Tuesday.²

General Cabell said he was not sure the weather would hold another day and that he would therefore hold the request in abeyance pending what might be another propitious day.

JFD

0. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversations. Top Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles.
1. Richard M. Bissell, Jr., of the Central Intelligence Agency.
2. September 23.