S/P Files: Lot 64 D 563
Memorandum of Conversation, by Charles Burton Marshall of the Policy Planning Staff
Present at the outset were: Consul General McConaughy, Sabin Chase, and C. B. Marshall, hereafter referred to in the first person. After I had stated briefly what we were about, and at McConaughy’s instance and with our concurrence, the following were brought in on the meeting: The political officer, Ralph Clough; … [name deleted], and the executive officer, Joseph Yager.
McConaughy expressed doubts over the positive results in prospect. …
The conversation shifted to procedure. The following points were agreed on: (a) that Chase and I should talk to a lot of individuals of varied status and let the word get around that we were at hand and had something up our sleeves; (b) that I should participate in the various conversations so as to preserve the appearance that both Chase and I were there on an information-gathering mission; (c) that we should not make overtures about possible channels to Peiping but should appear interested and alert to any hints coming from others; (d) that the attempt to lay a channel to Peiping should proceed along as many lines as appeared practicable; (e) that I would generally be introduced as a member of the office of the Secretary of State so as to highlight the idea of being someone in the line of policy.
The name of Eric Chow was brought forward as a possible contact. It was explained that he was editor of Ta Kung Pao, local outlet of the Chinese News Agency. It was recognized as a Communist sheet, [Page 1654] and he was reputed to be a local agent for the Peiping Reds in regard to matters besides news. It was agreed that Clough would arrange a meeting with Chow for us at a dinner party at Clough’s home.
A second specific name brought forward was that of Chang Shih-chao.1 It was explained that he was a person close to Mao Tse-tung and that [name deleted] … had access to someone who was in contact with Chang Shih-chao and that [name deleted] could probably arrange to have word of our presence in Hong Kong forwarded through that channel.
In a metaphor used by one of the consular officers present, we should fire some shotguns and a rifle. Eric Chow would be in the birdshot category and the channel to Chang Shih-chao would be in the bullet category. In the first instance there was a high probability and in the second a virtual certainty of getting the word through to Peiping.
It was agreed also that Yager should seek possible contacts for us on a trip to Macao later in the week. (Yager went to Macao about two days later and was gone for some five days. On his return he reported negative results).
It was agreed that to facilitate our conversations we should move from our temporary quarters in the Peninsula Hotel, Kowloon, to the Hong Kong Hotel. It was pointed out that security would not be good at the Hong Kong Hotel (nor for that matter, anywhere else) but that this would be to our advantage since it would be well to have a presence and activities made known though not published. The local officers agreed that all the waiters and room boys would probably be watching and reporting on our activities. It was agreed that to forestall interloping a check should be made of our room in the Hong Kong Hotel to determine whether any devices to pick up our conversations had been installed in the room. (This check was made four days later. The inspecting officer reported negative results. He said never yet had such devices been turned up in the Far East although they were commonly used in Europe and South America).
It was agreed that our visit should be deemphasized so far as the British were concerned. It would be advisable for us to make some official call but this would be confined to a visit to the political adviser to the Governor and Chase and I should be accompanied by one of the subordinate members of the Consulate staff rather than by the Consul General himself. (The Consul General and I subsequently agreed that this was not a wise decision and that it would be well to pay a visit to the Governor of the colony).
- This conversation was held about 4:00 to 5:00 p. m. in Mr. McConaughy’s office in the Consulate General in Hong Kong. This memorandum was written from memory May 11. [Footnote in the source text.]↩
- Chang Shih-chao, a journalist, educator, and lawyer, had first become prominent as a radical political writer in the early twentieth century; he was a member of the Political and Legal Committee of the Government Administration Council in the People’s Republic of China.↩