393.115/10–2949: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in China (Strong)
TelCan 740. Following extract from Secretary’s Press and Radio News Conference Oct. 12, 1949 quoted urinfo and guidance:
“Q. Mr. Secretary, the Isbrandtsen Steamship people say that they have sent you another telegram asking whether the State Department [Page 1156] and Navy propose to do anything about protecting their third ship which is called the Flying Trader.
A. There it is (indicating Isbrandtsen telegram).
Q. They say their third ship has some cargo for General Mac-Arthur.90 Does that make any difference in our attitude?
A. I think they know our attitude very; well. We have stated several times that we do not think that the National Govt has proclaimed—indeed it says it has not proclaimed a blockade. It is not maintaining an effective blockade in the sense that it is preventing ships from going in or coming out and therefore, as a matter of international law which concerns us deeply in other fields than this one, we do not regard this as a regularly established blockade in accordance with international law. It is not a policy of the United States Govt to attempt to break this blockade. We are not doing that. Everybody understands that. The ships that go in go in with full knowledge of the situation. We have told the Isbrandtsen Lines and other lines exactly what the state of affairs is and that in going into a hazardous situation, they are assuming the risks. Now, of that, I think there is no question. There are various statements of facts which are made by the Isbrandtsen Lines to the effect that the British Govt are convoying or escorting ships which I believe, to the best of my knowledge, are not correct. I am not speaking for the British Govt but so far as I know anything about it, I am saying it is not correct.
It is not correct so far as I know and it is a matter of fact to the best of my knowledge and belief that the British Govt is not escorting ships. It may be that I am wrong. The point is that this barrage of telegrams and publicity is designed to coerce or dragoon the United States Government into making declarations of policy which it does not intend to make and therefore, we are not going to be coerced or dragooned in this way.”
- General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander, Allied Forces in Japan.↩