633. Letter from Johnson to McConaughy1
Thought you would be interested in knowing that the Indian Consul General here just called me saying that he recalled that I had asked him to let me know whenever Krishna Menon came through town and that he was passing through here on Monday, intimating that he would like to see me but not directly saying so. Of course, I had never said any such thing to the Consul General and he perfectly well knows so, my last statement to him being that I would be very glad to see Krishna Menon any time he wanted to see me.
I replied that I was very sorry that I was leaving for Prague tomorrow morning and would not be returning until Wednesday and asked that he give Mr. Menon my regards.
I suppose that he will, of course, be seeing Wang. I have no idea what this means, if anything, but wanted to pass it on to you.
I have nothing on today’s meeting except what I have already transmitted in my telegrams. I was delighted to be able to make the statement on Chinese prisoners and so thoroughly to throw him into a spin at today’s meeting. It was fortunate that I had at the very outset in my statement of renunciation mentioned my desire later to talk on Item one, because it was quite obvious that he was preparing to jump in with his “demands” on us to release the Chinese prisoners, and if he had gotten his statement in first, it would have made it very difficult for me to make mine. However, it all worked out well and I think that we have handled the matter so as to obtain the maximum advantage.
Regards.
Sincerely,
American Ambassador
- Source: Department of State, Geneva Talks Files, Lot 72D415. Secret; Official–Informal. Johnson signed the original “Alex.”↩