Foreign Relations of the United States, 1951, Korea and China, Volume VII, Part 2

S/P Files: Lot 64 D 563

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, Prepared in the Department of State

top secret

[Washington,] February 26, 1951.

Participants:	First Party and Second Party.
	Telephone conversation, 5:10 p. m.

Second Party referred to an earlier telephone conversation¹ in which First Party had inquired as to whether Third Party had relayed to his principals any information regarding the information previously given in regard to the missionary, Dr. Wallace. Second Party said that he had attempted to call First Party on the preceding Friday evening² and had been unable to reach him. He was sure that Third Party had not communicated the information. He said that at the time the information had been passed on to Third Party, Third Party explained that he had no way of communicating it and would wait until he could get abroad to establish better communications before doing so.

First Party raised the general subject of Third Party’s veracity. Second Party said that he was sure of it insofar as one can be sure of that quality with respect to any Oriental. In general he was satisfied with the good faith of Third Party.

First Party then communicated certain items on which information from Third Party would be welcomed if obtainable. The questions referred to in general the numbers and training locations of the Chinese pilots previously reported by Third Party to be undergoing training for suicide missions and the Chinese crews reportedly undergoing submarine training.³ The specific questions were:

a. Where is the training being conducted?

b. Is there any information as to the location of submarines being used for training purposes?

c. Is there any indication of submarine training activities at Hainan, particularly at Yulin?

d. Is there any indication that the crew of the former Nationalist cruiser Chungking is being used in submarine training?

Second Party said he would call First Party Tuesday afternoon with the answers. First Party advised Second Party not to press for the answers but to work the way round to the questions easily. He suggested also that Second Party seek further clarification as to the sources of Third Party’s information regarding submarine and suicide pilot activities.

First Party discussed the general situation and said this Government was now in a fairly easy position as to alternative paths to be followed in relation to the Chinese. A peaceful settlement was now something in a take it or leave it category so far as this Government is concerned. Accordingly, we still felt it a good idea to get Third Party to a point from which he could make better contact with his principals but we certainly did not think that urgency was of the essence.

1. No record has been found in the Department of State files of any conversation between First Party and Second Party between February 4 and February 26.
2. February 23.
3. No reference to these subjects appears in the memoranda of conversations between First Party and Second Party in the Department of State files.