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

328. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State⁰

Warsaw, February 23, 1960, 7 p.m.

1308. Beam–Wang Talks. 96th meeting two hours fifteen minutes.¹ I opened with statement incorporating substance paragraphs one and two Deptel 875.² Wang replied without referring directly to statements reportedly made to Matsumura by Chen Yi and Chou En-lai, declaring Chinese Communists consistently upheld principle of settling disputes by negotiations without use force. He then read from prepared statement usual accusations that US causing tension by occupying Taiwan and carrying out provocative maneuvers in Far East including incursions into Chinese territorial waters and air space. He continued with long attack on US–Japan Security Treaty alleging US violating Potsdam declaration by reviving Japanese militarism for aggressive purposes. I replied by pointing to hostile posture Chinese Communists as source of Far Eastern tension and argued necessity of US defensive arrangements in Far East.

After brief reply by Wang along usual lines, I made statement on Bombay incident based third paragraph reference telegram to which Wang’s only response was reiteration previous accusations against American Consulate General Bombay.

In response my request for information concerning Bishop Walsh, Wang said he had none today but that when he did he would communicate it to me. I expressed disappointment that information still unavailable after so long a time, following this with statement on other prisoners to which Wang replied briefly in customary manner.

Replying to my request for any future information concerning Yacht Tora and occupants, Wang said it was practice his government make available any information concerning Americans coming within their purview as exemplified by recent case of two American seamen. He said as he had told us his government had no information concerning Tora or occupants.

I then made statement on newsmen as instructed paragraph four reference telegram.³ Wang replied from prepared statement alleging policy of US Government was to make it appear that responsibility for preventing exchange newsmen was on their side whereas in fact US Government was responsible. He quoted White House spokesman as saying April 7, 1959 US policy was to ban American correspondents going to Communist China. Also said Department had specifically announced that Chinese Communist correspondents would not be admitted to US to cover Khrushchev visit. He said it was entirely up to Chinese correspondents themselves whether they wished to apply for a visa to visit US but then insisted that exchange of correspondents only possible if US entered into agreement he proposed in 1957. I pointed out US could not make such agreement under its laws and said both US and presumably also Chinese Communist correspondents traveled to many countries without any such agreement and I do not see why he insisted on it. I mentioned that even certain US newsmen had been admitted to Communist China without such agreement. Wang’s only response was to repeat that way to facilitate exchange of newsmen was to have agreement.

Wang proposed next meeting March 29 and I countered with March 22, 2 p.m. which he accepted.

Beam

0. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/2–2360. Confidential; Priority; Limit Distribution. Repeated to Taipei. The documents cited in footnotes 1 and 2 below are in the Supplement.
1. Beam sent his comments and recommendations in telegram 1314 from Warsaw, February 24, and a transcript of the meeting in airgram G–145, February 26. (Ibid., 611.93/2–2460 and 611.93/2–2660, respectively)
2. Telegram 875 to Warsaw, February 18, conveyed Beam’s instructions for the meeting. The first two paragraphs instructed him to refer to an article by a Japanese Liberal-Democratic Party leader, which said Chou En-lai and Chen Yi had told him the PRC was against settling disputes by force, and to press Wang for a public affirmation of this principle. (Ibid., 611.93/2–1860)

3. This paragraph suggested reopening the newsmen issue by recounting the background and reaffirming the position set forth in the Department’s press release of April 23, 1959 (see footnote 1, Document 282).

   Telegram 975 to Warsaw, March 21, 1960, informed Beam that James Hagerty had implied this in a television interview on April 5, 1959, but that Department spokesman Lincoln White had corrected the impression left by Hagerty’s remarks the next day. (Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/3–2160)