693.94/1–1552: Telegram

No. 475
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in the Republic of China1

secret
priority
niact

523. Text fol tel (to Taipei only) 5242 contains text Yoshida ltr to Dulles re Jap attitude toward China. Yoshida will release text to press noon Jan 16 Tokyo time.

Dept considers it desirable Taipei provide FonMin copy of text simultaneous with release in Tokyo informing him copy provided for info Chi Govt only and not for release in Taipei.

Fol for info Taipei and possible use in discussion FonMin if latter critical form or manner Yoshida statement. Dept assumes this explicit public assurance by Yoshida will be most welcome to Chi Govt. While Dept appreciates Chi Govt might have preferred public reference to scope of proposed treaty not be made this time and manner, substance statement appears satis from Chi viewpoint and as previously explained we wld not have felt able to use our good offices effectively in the face of UK attitude except as Jap announcement contained realistic definition of the scope of prospective treaty. Dept hopes Chis appreciate efforts US Govt remove major obstacles that developed to treaty relationship between Chi Govt and Japan and that Chi Govt will be gratified, as is US Govt, at this forthright statement by Yoshida of Jap intentions.

Acheson
  1. Repeated to Tokyo for information; drafted by Wallace W. Stuart, Acting Officer in Charge of Political Affairs in the Office of Chinese Affairs, and Dulles; and approved for transmission by Dulles.In a previous draft (attached to the source text) the third sentence of the third paragraph reads as follows:

    “While Dept appreciates Chi Govt might have preferred public reference to scope of proposed treaty not be made this time and manner, substance statement appears satisfactory from Chi viewpoint and it probably would have been politically impossible Yoshida announce intention negot treaty with Natl Govt without some reference its scope”. In this previous draft Dulles is not listed as a codrafter.

  2. Not printed.