Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume XXX, China

331. Telegram From the Embassy in Poland to the Department of State¹

Warsaw, November 25, 1968, 1514Z.

5244. Ref: Warsaw 5167.² Subject: 135th meeting US-ChiCom talks.

1. Morning November 25, Attaché Lo invited EmbOff to ChiCom Embassy and handed following letter (unofficial ChiCom translation):

“Mr. Ambassador.

I have received your letters of September 12 and November 15. I am now instructed to reply as follows:

1. The Chinese Government was serious in suggesting on May 18 that the 135th meeting of the Sino-U.S. Ambassadorial talks be held in the middle of November or late November. The Chinese Government has not indicated that it will change its view. It is most absurd for you to ‘assume’ groundlessly that China has changed its intention, and this is obviously a pretext.

2. You have now asked for a postponement of the meeting until February next year. To put it bluntly, this is because the United States is going to change its President and the U.S. Government is now in a stage wherein the incoming is superseding the outgoing, and you want to drag on until the present period is over.

3. Over the past 13 years, the Chinese Government has consistently adhered to the following two principles in the Sino-U.S. Ambassadorial talks: First—The U.S. Government undertakes to immediately withdraw all its armed forces from China’s territory Taiwan Province and the Taiwan Straits area and dismantle all its military installations in Taiwan Province; second—The U.S. Government agrees that China and the United States conclude an agreement on the five principles of peaceful coexistence. But in the past 13 years, while refusing all along to reach an agreement with the Chinese Government on these two principles, the U.S. Government, putting the cart before the horse, has kept on haggling over side issues. We once again tell you in explicit terms that the Chinese Government will never barter away principles. If you continue your current practice, no result whatsoever will come of the Sino-U.S. Ambassadorial talks no matter which administration of yours assumes office.

4. Since your side has found it necessary to ask for a postponement of the meeting, we can agree. We hereby make the specific suggestion that the meeting might as well be held on February 20 next year. By that time your new President will have been in office for a month and you will probably be able to make up your mind.

5. Since your side has already made public statements on the further postponement of the 135th meeting of the Sino-U.S. Ambassadorial talks, our side will issue a statement to refute them.

Chen Tung

Chargé d’Affaires A.I. of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Poland”

2. Original Chinese text being pouched.

Stoessel

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL CHICOM-US. Confidential; Limdis.
2. Telegram 5167 from Warsaw, November 15, reported delivery of a letter from Stoessel to Ch’en, the text of which was transmitted in telegram 271668 to Warsaw, November 14. The letter stated that since Ch’en’s government had not confirmed the U.S.-proposed meeting date of November 20, “we must regretfully assume” that it did not intend to act on its original proposal for a November meeting; the U.S. Government remained willing to consider an alternative date in 1968 for the next meeting but suggested a meeting on February 5 or 11, 1969. (Ibid.) The U.S. proposal to meet on November 20 was made in a September 12 letter from Stoessel to Ch’en. (Telegram 236054 to Warsaw, September 10, and telegram 4490 from Warsaw, September 12; ibid.)