135. Memorandum of Conversation, New York, June 12, 1972, 9:50-10:30 p.m.1 2
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
- Mrs. Shih Yen-hua, PRC Mission to the UN
Peter W. Rodman, NSC Staff
DATE & TIME: Monday, 12 June 1972, 9:50-10:30 p.m.
PLACE: PRC Mission to the UN, New York City
The meeting took place at our initiative in order to convey two written messages, one (at Tab A) being a reply to several PRC notes on U.S. aircraft incidents, and the second (Tab B) conveying further details on Dr. Kissinger’s forthcoming visit to Peking.
I was greeted in the usual friendly fashion by Mrs. Shih and escorted to an upstairs meeting room for several cups of green tea. After initial conversation I handed over the two notes and added that I had some comments to convey orally as well. She commented that she ought to read the messages, which she then did, and I then told her the following:
“On the subject of the first note, on the aircraft incidents, Dr. Kissinger has asked me to say that you will see a distinct change in the pattern of our operations in the immediate future.
“On the subject of Dr. Kissinger’s forthcoming visit to Peking, he asked me to tell you that while in Tokyo he informed the Japanese Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, on a most confidential basis, that he would be visiting Peking. He felt he had no choice but to do this. Because after the announcement of the trip on Wednesday [June 14] it probably will become public in the press that Dr. Kissinger informed the Japanese leaders, he asked me to inform you now that he did so.”
Mrs. Shih took this all down in her little notebook, and told me she would convey this to the Ambassador.
She served several more cups of tea. In the ensuing conversation she asked a question or two about Tokyo (we stuck to personal impressions, [Page 2] Tokyo city life, etc.). When she commented that we would have only a few days to work on preparations for the China trip, I assured her that the work had begun before we went to Tokyo and that Dr. Kissinger would be fully prepared for, and was looking forward to, his forthcoming visit.
Attachments
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 849, President’s File-China Trip, China Exchanges, March 1, 1972-June 24, 1972. Top Secret; Sensitive. The meeting was held at the PRC Mission at the UN. Brackets in the source text. Attached at Tab A is the U.S. response to the Chinese notes on the aircraft incidents; it is published as Document 136. Attached but not published at Tab B is the message outlining details of Kissinger’s visit to Peking.↩
- NSC staff member Rodman told Shih Yen-hua of the PRC Mission to the United Nations that President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Kissinger had informed the Japanese Government that he would be visiting China. The Message acknowledged past accidental incursions into Chinese airspace, promised that new procedures had been instituted to prevent further transgressions, and apologized for the accidental bombing of Chinese territory.↩