Office of the Historian

116. Memorandum From Richard H. Solomon of the National Security Council Staff to Secretary of State Kissinger1

Washington, July 31, 1975.

SUBJECT

  • “Mood-Setters” in Our Relations With the Chinese

There are a number of opportunities which will present themselves early in the fall for the President to identify himself publicly with the People’s Republic of China. You may wish to have him take advantage of one or a number of the following occasions both to signal to Peking his orientation to the current state of U.S.–PRC relations and to set the mood for our own public in advance of his trip to China.

  • — The Chinese will be sending their official trade delegation (the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade) to the U.S. in September. The President has received a request from the organizers of the Washington leg of their trip that he receive this group for a few minutes if his schedule permits. You may wish to have Mr. Ford meet with this group as an expression of his personal interest in our growing trade with the PRC.
  • — The Chinese are also sending to the U.S. their official scientific organization which promotes exchanges with other countries, the All-China Scientific and Technical Association. This group will also be in Washington in September. The President might meet with this group as an expression of his support for our scientific exchanges with the PRC.
  • — The President has received an invitation from the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations, the group that handles our cultural exchanges with the PRC, to give an address to their membership during their annual meeting in late October. As you may have completed your advance trip to Peking by this time, you might want the President to make some form of public statement to this group as a way of setting the public mood in advance of his trip to Peking. Alternatively, the President could just send the National Committee a statement of support, or you might address the group. (Based on our recent discussion, however, you may wish to adopt a lower “China profile” than would be implied by a speech by the President or yourself.)
  • — You will recall that last October Huang Chen requested that his wife have an opportunity to call on the First Lady. No such meeting was held, however. The Chinese raised the issue again early in the spring. Again no action was taken because of the conjunction of the request with developments in Indochina. You may wish to consider having the First Lady receive Madame Huang within the new few months (particularly if the First Lady will accompany the President on his trip to Peking).

If you will provide guidance, we will handle the staffing of these requests as you indicate.

Recommendations:2

1.
That the President receive the delegation from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade:
2.
That the President receive the delegation from the All-China Scientific and Technical Association:
3.
That the President accept the invitation of the National Committee on U.S.–China Relations to address their annual meeting (in late October):

Alternatives:

4.
That the President send the annual meeting a message (which we will prepare):
5.
That you address the National Committee’s annual meeting:
6.
That the First Lady receive Madame Huang Chen at some convenient time in advance of the President’s trip to Peking:3
  1. Source: Ford Library, National Security Adviser, Kissinger–Scowcroft West Wing Office Files, 1969–1977, Box 5, China, unnumbered items (17), 8/4/75–8/31/75. No classification marking. Sent for action. Lord forwarded this memorandum to Kissinger on August 22 under a covering memorandum that advised the Secretary to approve “the following recommendations by number: 1 or 2, 4 and 6, but I would not move on any of them until we hear from the Chinese concerning dates for the two visits.” (Ibid.)↩
  2. The recommendations were numbered by hand, presumably by Lord. Kissinger initialed the Approve option under recommendations 1, 2, 4, and 6 and the Disapprove option under recommendation 3. He did not initial either option under recommendation 5.↩
  3. A note beneath Kissinger’s initials indicates that he made this marking on September 3.↩