332. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in Poland1
279906. Ref: Warsaw 5156.2 Subject: US-ChiCom Ambassadorial Talks.
- 1.
- Department accepting ChiCom proposal February 20 meeting, but suggesting change in venue to embassies. Suggestion for change [Page 724] based on our desire move talks to more secure surroundings, and ascertain whether ChiComs genuinely interested in private, productive exchange of views.
- 2.
- Please transmit following written message from Ambassador to ChiCom Embassy ASAP:
“Dear Mr. Chargé d’Affaires:
I have received your letter of November 25 in which you propose that the 135th Sino-US Ambassadorial meeting be held on February 20, 1969. I accept your proposal, and I shall look forward to meeting with your side at 2:00 p.m. on that date.
It is my belief that the purposes of the Sino-United States Ambassadorial talks would be furthered at this juncture by a change of venue. Therefore, I propose that henceforth our meetings alternate between our respective embassies in accordance with the proposal by Ambassador Wang Ping-nan presented at a meeting between the representatives of our two countries on September 13, 1958. If this suggestion meets with your approval, we would be prepared to discuss with you at which of our respective embassies the February 20, 1969 meeting should take place.
If the suggested change in venue is not acceptable, I shall expect to meet you at the agreed date and time at our usual meeting place.
Sincerely yours,
Walter J. Stoessel, Jr.”3
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, POL CHICOM-US. Secret; Limdis. Drafted by Kreisberg and Nicholas Platt of EA/ACA; cleared by Brown, Doyle V. Martin of EUR/EE, Shoesmith, and EUR Acting Assistant Secretary Alfred Puhan; and approved and initialed by Rusk. Repeated to London, Moscow, Paris, Taipei, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.↩
- Telegram 5156 from Warsaw, November 15, transmitted the texts of two letters from Ch’en to Stoessel. (Ibid.) They replied to two June 19 letters from Jenkins that proposed a settlement of outstanding postal and telecommunications accounts and requested information about missing U.S. servicemen and U.S. prisoners in China and requested the prisoners’ release. (Airgrams 8610 and 8609 to Warsaw, June 11; ibid., POL CHICOM-US and POL 27–7 CHICOM-US, respectively; telegram 3640 from Warsaw, June 19; ibid.) The Chinese letters rejected efforts to settle such issues as postal and telecommunication accounts while the Taiwan issue remained unsettled and rejected the requests concerning missing servicemen and prisoners.↩
- Telegram 5293 from Warsaw, November 30, reported that the letter had been delivered that day. (Ibid.)↩