Office of the Historian

23. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China0

Washington, August 2, 1958, 4:02 p.m.

81. Urtel 991 referred for appraisal to Joint Chiefs who examined situation Taiwan Straits area at meeting yesterday. On basis available intelligence they concluded no evidence of Chinese Communist build-up or other military moves suggesting intention to take offensive action in area. Stationing MIG 17s Swatow Chinghai airfield accepted as probable, but significance as indicator lessened by fact ChiComs have operated aircraft out of this field on previous occasions. Agency estimate identical.

Important you and other country team representatives make concerted effort allay GRC sense of alarm and dampen crisis atmosphere which conducive to type precipitate GRC action we seek prevent. Smoot reply to Minister Yu representations (urtel 115)2 welcomed.

Department concerned at reports (e.g., para 3 Embassy’s memorandum July 9 Weekly Meeting Heads of U.S. Agencies)3 that GRC will bomb coastal airfields in event Chinese Communists station planes on them and at possibility suggested reftel it might take such action without prior consultation on grounds emergency self-defense. While we reluctant believe GRC would violate its commitment under exchange of notes December 10, 1954 you should seek earliest opportunity to remind Shen and at your discretion Premier Chen of commitment and emphasize we do not believe emergency exercise right of self-defense language can be stretched to permit action against coastal airfields without prior consultation unless GRC territory or forces are attacked. You should urge Smoot do same with Minister Yu.

Flights of F–100s proposed by Minister Yu to Smoot regarded as useful psychological move. Concur in Smoot recommendation (urtel 115) they be continued regularly in small numbers in addition to or in lieu of regular deployments. However, flights should not receive special publicizing [Page 39] which would tend have undesired effect of heightening tension in area.

Dulles
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/8–258. Secret; Priority. Drafted by Lutkins, cleared in substance with INR, and approved by Robertson. Repeated to CINCPAC.↩
  2. Document 20.↩
  3. Dated August 2, telegram 115 from Taipei repeated a message to CINCPAC from Admiral Smoot, who had just replaced Admiral Doyle as Commander, U.S. Taiwan Defense Command, reporting his meeting with Yu that morning. Yu told Smoot that his government was exercising every restraint and that he would try to continue to do so but could not guarantee it. Smoot told him the policy of restraint was “most wise.” (Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/8–258; see Supplement)↩
  4. Not found.↩