Office of the Historian

213. Letter From the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Parsons) to the Ambassador in the Republic of China (Drumright)0

Washington, October 24, 1958.

Dear Drum: I refer to the Embassy’s Despatch 169 of October 31 concerning a proposed GRC–United States field training exercise for Special Forces. I note that the exercise, called Meion Feng, was tentatively scheduled for October–November this year but “will probably be delayed to a later date.”

It is my feeling that a joint exercise of this type and on the scale proposed would be unwise in the near future. For the duration of the present critical situation in the Taiwan Straits, I believe it most important that we avoid any unnecessary actions that might embarrass us before world opinion in our efforts to demonstrate that we and our Chinese allies are earnestly seeking a peaceful resolution of the crisis. The Chinese Communists could probably be expected to find out about the exercise and to make all possible political propaganda out of it.

I realize the importance of such exercises in the training of Special Forces, and particularly in this case as a means of demonstrating realistically both the strengths and liabilities of Special Forces to GRC officials. Nevertheless, I would like to suggest that you discuss with Admiral Smoot the matter of deferring this exercise for the time being. I will be interested in receiving your reactions as well as those of Admiral Smoot to this suggestion.2

Sincerely yours,

J. Graham Parsons3

P.S. I am signing this in ignorance of whether or not this question was dealt with during Mr. Robertson’s current visit to Taipei and, needless to say, any decisions thus arrived at would be overriding.

  1. Source: Department of State, FE Files: Lot 60 D 90, Drumright. Secret; Official–Informal. Drafted by William M. Kahmann of the Office of Chinese Affairs.↩
  2. Not printed. (Ibid., Central Files, 793.5/10–358; see Supplement)↩
  3. Subsequent correspondence on this subject between Parsons, Martin, and Drumright has not been found, but is referred to in telegram 1023 from Taipei, March 19, 1959, which reported that Smoot had scheduled the exercise for May and requested the Department’s concurrence. The Department concurred in telegram 631 to Taipei, March 23, 1959. (Both in Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/3–1959) Despatch 117 from Taipei, August 26, 1959, reported that the exercise had been held April 27–May 29. (Ibid., 793.5/8–2659; see Supplement)↩
  4. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩