393.1163/4–2648
The Consul General at Peiping (Clubb) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 10.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to this Consulate General’s despatch no. 68 of April 20, 1948,25 and to Peiping’s airgram no. A–3 of April 17 (page 7)25 in regard to the Communist attitude in respect to the protection of foreign nationals, and to enclose that section of this Consulate General’s radio broadcast intercept of February 20, 194826 which, having reference to the murder of three foreign missionaries (including two Americans) in Hupeh Province, set forth what would appear to be a definitive statement of Communist policy as regards the matter in point. It will be observed that (according to the quoted spokesman of the General Headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army) “concerning foreigners in China, the policy of the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese democratic government, and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, is to ask them to obey the laws of the Chinese democratic government and the People’s Liberation Army and to refrain from offensive acts; so long as they behave this way, the democratic government and the People’s Liberation Army will resolutely protect them. Religious freedom is one of the fixed policies of the democratic government and the People’s Liberation Army. There is definitely no reason for killing peaceful foreign missionaries.”
This office’s failure to note at the time of the writing of the reference airgram this radio report was occasioned by the circumstance that the Chinese text of that radio broadcast was mislaid and held up during the enforced absence of one of this officer’s translators due to his capture by the Chinese Communists.
Respectfully yours,