The Taiwan Strait crisis; U.S. concern with the defense of Taiwan and the maintenance of peace in the Taiwan area; the Formosa resolution; efforts to bring the problem before the U.N. Security Council; negotiations leading to the Republic of China’s evacuation of the Tachen Islands with U.S. assistance; diplomatic efforts to bring about a peaceful solution to the crisis; the question of U.S. policy with regard to Quemoy and Matsu; the question of Nationalist response to the growth of Communist air power; the Robertson–Radford mission to Taipei; the U.S. response to Premier Chou En-lai’s proposal of negotiations; diplomatic efforts to obtain the release of American prisoners in the People’s Republic of China; negotiations leading to the establishment of the Ambassadorial talks at Geneva between representatives of the United States and the People’s Republic of China1
1. For previous documentation on this subject, see Foreign Relations, 1952–1954, vol. xiv, Part 1, pp. 1 ff.
181. Memorandum of Discussion at the 243d Meeting of the National Security Council, Washington, March 31, 1955
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, NSC Records. Top Secret. Drafted by Gleason on April 1.
182. Memorandum From the Director of the Executive Secretariat (Scott) to the Secretary of State
Source: Eisenhower Library, White House Central Files, Confidential File, Formosan Question. Secret. Also directed to the Under Secretary. The source text is a carbon copy.
183. Telegram From the Consul General at Geneva (Gowen) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 211.9311/3–3155. Confidential; Niact. Repeated for information to London and Hong Kong.
184. Memorandum for the Files by John Goodyear, Special Assistant to the Deputy Under Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5411/4–155. Top Secret.
185. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Hoover) to the Secretary of State
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Top Secret; Personal and Private. The time of the meeting is from the President’s appointment diary. (Ibid., President’s Daily Appointments)
186. Letter From the Secretary of State to the Representative at the United Nations (Lodge)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.95A241/3–2855. Limited Official Use.
187. Memorandum From the Secretary of State to the President
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Confidential. Seen by the President on April 4 according to a handwritten note by Goodpaster on the source text.
188. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, April 4, 1955, 3:30 p.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Secret. Drafted by Dulles.
189. Memorandum From the President to the Secretary of State
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Memoranda. Top Secret. Sent with a covering memorandum of April 5 from the President, complimenting Dulles on his April 4 memorandum (see footnote 3, supra) and suggesting that the two might be combined into one paper which could “form the basis of discussion with other interested officials and associates, so that we can get something started promptly.” (Department of State, PPS Files: Lot 66 D 70, China)
191. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs (Young) and the Indonesian Ambassador (Notowidigdo), Department of State, Washington, April 5, 1955
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/4–555. Secret. Drafted by Young.
193. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, April 7, 1955
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 670.901/4–755. Top Secret. Drafted by MacArthur. Approved in draft by the Secretary, according to a marginal notation on the source text.
194. Draft Policy Statement Prepared in the Department of State
Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Dulles–Herter Series. Secret. The document, labeled “Draft”, was a revision by Dulles of an April 7 draft prepared in the Policy Planning Staff, which combined Eisenhower’s April 5 memorandum, Document 189, and Dulles’ April 4 memorandum. Concerning the latter, see footnote 3, Document 188. (April 7 draft with Dulles’ handwritten revisions: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Memoranda; copy of April 8 paper: Department of State, PPS Files: Lot 66 D 70, China) The draft was sent to the President with a covering note of April 8 from Dulles stating that he planned to discuss it with Radford at lunch. (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Memoranda) The source text is filed with a note by Ann Whitman, April 9, stating that the Secretary discussed it with the President and was to confer with Walter Judd and possibly General Wedemeyer. The document was not revised as was apparently intended; see Document 207.
195. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, April 8, 1955, 2:35 p.m.
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 670.901/4–1455. Confidential. Drafted by Bell on April 14. The time of the meeting is from Dulles’ appointment diary. (Princeton University Library, Dulles Papers)
196. Telegram From the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Formosa (Chase) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/4–855. Top Secret; Priority. Received at the Department of Defense at 2:56 p.m. Repeated for information to the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commander, Formosa Defense Command. A copy is also in JCS Records, CCS 381 Formosa (11–8–48) Sec. 21.
197. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in Turkey
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 670.901/4–855. Secret. Drafted by MacArthur; cleared with Assistant Secretaries Robertson and Allen; and approved and personally signed by the Secretary. Also sent to Cairo, Baghdad, Tehran, Karachi, Bangkok, and Tokyo and repeated for information to Jakarta.
198. Telegram From the Consul General at Geneva (Gowen) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.95A241/4–855. Confidential; Niact. Received at 9:37 p.m. Repeated for information to London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, and New York.
199. Telegram From the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump) to the Chief of Naval Operations (Carney)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/4–955. Top Secret. Received at the Department of Defense at 11:30 a.m. on April 9. A copy is also in JCS Records, CCS 381 Formosa (11–8–48) Sec. 22.
200. Memorandum From the Director of the Policy Planning Staff (Bowie) to the Secretary of State
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, White House Memoranda. Secret; Personal and Private.
201. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Washington, April 11, 1955, Noon
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Top Secret; Personal and Private.
203. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, April 14, 1955
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.5/4–1455. Secret. Drafted by Merchant.
204. National Intelligence Estimate
Source: Department of State, INR–NIE Files. Secret. An advance copy, dated April 16, bears the President’s initials and his marginal notations and underlinings. (Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, International Series)
A note on the cover sheet reads as follows:
“Submitted by the Director of Central Intelligence. The following intelligence organizations participated in the preparation of this estimate: The Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organizations of the Departments of State, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and The Joint Staff.
“Concurred in by the Intelligence Advisory Committee on 16 April 1955. Concurring were the Special Assistant, Intelligence, Department of State; the Assistant Chief of Staff, G–2, Department of the Army; the Director of Naval Intelligence; the Director of Intelligence, USAF; and the Deputy Director for Intelligence, The Joint Staff. The Atomic Energy Commission Representative to the IAC, and the Assistant to the Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation, abstained, the subject being outside of their jurisdiction.”
206. Telegram From the Chief of the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Formosa (Chase) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Stump)
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/4–1755. Top Secret; Priority. Received at the Department of Defense at 2:50 a.m. on April 17. The source text bears a note by Phyllis Bernau that it was seen by Secretary Dulles.
207. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the President and the Secretary of State, Augusta, Georgia, April 17, 1955, 12:30 p.m.
Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Meetings with the President. Top Secret; Personal and Private. Drafted by Dulles on April 18.
208. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, April 20, 1955, Noon
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 793.00/4–2055. Top Secret. Drafted by Merchant.
209. Telegram From the Ambassador in Indonesia (Cumming) to the Department of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 670.901/4–2155. Secret. Received at 9:36 a.m.
210. Message From the Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Robertson) to the Secretary of State
Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.5800/4–2155. Top Secret; Eyes Only; Operational Immediate. Transmitted in telegram 212055Z from CINCPAC to CNO. Received at the Department of Defense at 5:37 p.m. This is the first of a series of messages sent to and from Robertson and Radford during their trip to Taipei, all sent through a secure channel prearranged by Admiral Radford. (Memorandum from Radford to Dulles, et al., April 20; ibid., 711.5893/4–2055) The source texts for the messages printed here are in a file labeled Secretary’s Book (Admiral Radford–Mr. Robertson Trip). Copies of the messages, together with memoranda of conversations and related documentation, apparently brought back from Taipei by Robertson, are filed with a covering memorandum of April 27 from Robertson to Dulles. (Ibid., 611.13/4–2755) An incomplete file of the messages, apparently brought back from Taipei by Radford, is in JCS Records, CJCS 091 China. Some of the messages in the Secretary’s file and all of those brought back from Taipei by Robertson and Radford are numbered as separate incoming and outgoing series; the bracketed numbers on the messages printed here appear on those attached to Robertson’s April 27 memorandum to Dulles.