30. Editorial Note
On August 11, 1958, the Department of State released to the press a paper entitled “United States Policy Regarding Non-Recognition of the Chinese Communist Regime.” (Press Release No. 459; see American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1958, pages 1136–1143)
The paper, with an additional concluding paragraph, was sent to all U.S. diplomatic and consular posts as an enclosure to CA–1452, August 12, which noted that it had been handed recently to a friendly government. The concluding paragraph reads as follows:
“Forty-five non-Communist countries recognize the Republic of China. Only nineteen have recognized Peiping, and most of these did so before the Korean War in 1950. Recognition by a leading free world nation would therefore be interpreted as an important victory for the Chinese Communists, as a sign of free world reluctance to stand up to Communist pressures, and as damaging evidence of a serious difference of opinion within the free world concerning the problem of how to deal with the expansionist forces of international Communism. It would have an especially serious effect in the Far East where the free world nations most directly exposed to Chinese Communist expansionist pressures would be dismayed and confused and some would no doubt be tempted to follow suit for fear of being left alone in the face of Communist power. Nations in other areas of the world whose governments are less conscious of the critical nature of the situation in the Far East and less immediately affected by developments in that area might follow the example thus set. The inevitable consequence of recognition of the Chinese Communist regime by other free nations would be greatly to enhance its prestige, influence, and power and to make more difficult the effort to maintain free world security interests in the Pacific area.” (Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/8–1258)
A memorandum of August 26 by Leon W. Fuller of the Policy Planning Staff states that the paper had been prepared as an aide-mémoire for the Canadian Government at Secretary Dulles’ suggestion after Prime Minister Diefenbaker raised the recognition question in his conversations with the President and the Secretary (see Document 17). Fuller’s memorandum, entitled “United States Policy toward China: A Dissenting Opinion,” was apparently seen by Assistant Secretary for Policy Planning Gerard C. Smith, but no action was taken on his recommendation that Policy Planning Staff, together with “other appropriate offices willing to cooperate,” undertake a “searching appraisal” of U.S. policy toward China in terms of the next 3 to 5 years. The memorandum is in Department of State, S/P Files: Lot 67 D 548, China, 1957–58; see Supplement.