Office of the Historian

33. Telegram From the Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bohlen) to the Department of State1

Moscow, August 20, 1955—7 p.m.

435. For the Secretary. I had occasion in conversation with Malenkov at Yugoslav reception yesterday to make point set forth in your telegram 174.2 Malenkov was speaking in general “spirit of Geneva” and mentioned that Soviets were very glad to see that contact on Ambassadorial level had been established with CPR. I told him that this was all very well but that talks were not going at all well due refusal of Chinese to consider release of imprisoned Americans. I added that there were no obstacles in way of any Chinese in United States who wished to return to China and that United States had even agreed to Chinese proposal that India could act in United States to assist those who wished to return. I told Malenkov that they should understand that although to Chinese possibly a relatively limited number of Americans might not seem a major point, to the people and government of the United States questions of this kind dealing with individual human beings were of major importance. I did not pursue the matter beyond this point in the light of your telegram under reference.

Malenkov made some general reference to the “sensibilities” of Communist China which felt that its “rights” as a great power had been ignored but added that he personally could comprehend the importance the United States attached to this question of Americans detained in China. In reply to my statement that the Far East in my personal opinion contained elements of greater danger than other parts of world he expressed agreement. I told him that in my view one of these reasons was that the Chinese were in a different stage of their revolution than the Soviet Union which might incline them to more risky action. Malenkov smiled and said this might be a factor in the situation. I have no way of knowing whether this information will be in any way acted on by the Soviet government but I [Page 54] am reasonably convinced that Malenkov appreciated the importance that we attach to the Americans imprisoned in China.

Bohlen
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 611.93/8–2055. Confidential; Priority.↩
  2. Document 26.↩