795.00/12–550: Telegram
The Ambassador in Yugoslavia (Allen) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 5—11:14 p. m.]
628. Department’s circular 221, December 1. Kardelj assured me today that Bebler has been instructed to seek passage by GA of resolution re Chinese intervention in Korea which was vetoed in SC.
Kardelj expressed hope that honorable solution to Korean situation could be found which would prevent extension of hostilities, but [Page 1420] he said he had received no intimation that Chinese Communists had become reasonable or that Rau–Wu conversations would be successful.
In response to my question, Kardelj said he attributed Chinese intervention in Korea primarily to expansionist tendency of Peiping regime and to desire of that regime to detract Chinese attention from internal difficulties. He thinks intervention, while supported by USSR, was primarily at Peiping’s initiative. He suspects Chinese may have gone into Korea in larger force than Moscow wanted.
Kardelj expressed concern that if China should win in Korea, USSR might be encouraged to seek “compensating victory” in Europe.
I commented that American people were not accustomed to give up, once we had started, and that we were determined that UN, which we supported with much enthusiasm, should not lose its first fight. Kardelj expressed appreciation for this American characteristic but said that as a European, he only hoped we would not allow ourselves to get into situation where we were compelled to give disproportionate attention to Far East. He expressed confidence that you and President Truman were doing everything possible to avoid war with China and hoped, for Europe’s sake, you would succeed.
Repeated info Paris 91.