293. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Poland0
123. Beam–Wang Talks. Urtel 172 paragraph 2.1 FYI. There has been no change in US Navy’s normal practice of operating well out in international waters as stated by you to Wang at 82nd meeting. Standard patrol pattern has in fact been even outside 12 mile zone calculated from assumed Chinese Communist base line. No intention here to alter existing patrol patterns.
As noted by you most “serious warnings” in June and July have involved overflights of Paracels. These represent regular reconnaissance patrol which we have conducted for many months without eliciting any protests. ChiCom claims to islands have no status and recent “serious warnings” over them appear to be part of broader Communist effort in West Pacific to force U.S. patrol lines back by threats, claims, protests and occasional attacks. Letter follows. End FYI.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/7–2959. Confidential; Limit Distribution. Drafted by Lutkins, cleared with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and approved by Green. Repeated to Taipei, USUN, and to London for Clough.↩
- See footnote 2, Document 291. Paragraph 2 asked whether there had been any change in the Navy’s practice of keeping well out in international waters as Beam had stated to Wang on October 25 in accordance with telegram 508 to Warsaw of October 23 (see footnote 6, Document 205).↩