790B.00/11–2051
The Chargé in Burma (Day) to the Secretary of State
No. 461
Ref: Deptel 385, October 27, 1951.
Subject: Interview with Foreign Minister concerning Insurgent threat.
The Prime Minister being absent from Rangoon during most of the time for several weeks after receipt of the Department’s telegram 385, the Foreign Office arranged an interview with the Foreign Minister shortly after his return from a two weeks’ trip in the Shan States. A memorandum of my conversation with the Foreign Minister is enclosed.1
The Foreign Minister expressed surprise that the United States government was so concerned over the Communist insurgent threat and said that it was his own opinion that Burma was in a stronger [Page 312] position than ever before. Responding to my verbal assurance of the continued desire of the United States government to be helpful and to cooperate with the Government of Burma, the Foreign Minister reverted to the situation created by the presence of KMT troops in Kengtung State and said he thought the most helpful thing the United States could do would be to induce the Chinese Nationalist Government to break off all communication with and support to these KMT troops. He said that he thought were it not for the necessity of having to use Burmese troops to contain the KMT troops, rapid progress could be made against the insurgents.
It is difficult to understand why the Foreign Minister took such an optimistic line on the subject of the Communist insurgent threat and chose to emphasize the troubles with KMT troops. Apparently the authorities in Burma either still suspect that the United States government is somehow involved in the operations of these troops and in the supplying of arms and equipment to them or believe that the United States government could take more positive and effective action to stop the government at Taipei from issuing orders to General Li Mi, beyond orders to leave Burma, and to prevent smuggling of arms and supplies to the KMT troops.
The Foreign Minister said that he would show the Aide-Mémoire, which I left with him, to the Prime Minister. A copy of the Aide-Mémoire is forwarded as Enclosure No. 2.2