Office of the Historian

793.00/10–250: Telegram

The Consul General at Hong Kong (Wilkinson) to the Secretary of State

confidential
Hong Kong, October 2, 1950—5 p. m.
[Received October 3—1:22 p. m.]

708. Full text important Chou En-lai statement October 11 not yet available here as NCNA English text still not released and Chinese text was published in local press with many characters missing in crucial sections.

Consulate General’s initial impression based on incomplete accounts available is that Chou’s saber-rattling probably intended primarily to present Communist Government as champion of Chinese (and Asian) nationalism and solidify public support behind its pro-USSR and anti-US policy. Maximum of public support is essential for sacrifices involved in building modern military machine which is basic aim of Communist program. Chou’s reference to “prolonged war of resistance” by “Korean people” implies no early change in balance of military force in Korea such as would result from large-scale participation of PLA despite warning that China would not stand aside “should imperialism wantonly invade territory of neighbor”.

Further comments on statement will be deferred until full text available for study.2

Wilkinson
  1. Reference is to Premier Chou En-lai’s report on September 30 to the National Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Conference commemorating the first anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, wherein he stated that “the Chinese people absolutely will not tolerate foreign aggression nor will they supinely tolerate seeing their neighbours being savagely invaded by imperialists”. (China Monthly Review (November 1950), p. 103)↩
  2. Telegram 723, October 5, from Hong Kong, not printed, stated that a careful reading of the full text of Chou’s statement confirmed the impression expressed in telegram 708. It went on to say that the most likely interpretation of the statement that China would not “supinely tolerate seeing their neighbours being savagely invaded by imperialists” was that the North Koreans could count on the Chinese Communists for diplomatic support and material assistance for their continued armed resistance to the forces of the United Nations. (793.00/10–550)↩