814. Letter 57 from Johnson to Clough1
I want to thank you most heartily for your letter of July 5 and the very full enclosures which, together with your most welcome telegram on Tseng enabled me to be fully armed for today’s meeting. As you will see I was able to smother him with detail on Tseng and he had no comeback whatever at today’s meeting.
As far as comment on today’s meeting is concerned, I have nothing to add to my telegram. I, of course, did not expect he would in any way overtly react to my effort to put across the point we would not necessarily stop the Talks if the Americans were released, and it is hard for me to tell whether it went across. It may not have, and I will work on this as opportunity arises. Tell the Secretary I greatly appreciated his personal message on this and will continue to play it as best I can. While it is only a factor in their failure to let them go, it is perhaps one that I will be able to remove.
It was good to have Ed here but was sorry to learn after his arrival that it meant again busting up his vacation.
With Ekvall now staying in Paris between meetings there will be no one here to receive messages, handle correspondence or sort out incoming material. (Incidentally, I told Wang that Popper would be the contact here for any messages between meetings.) Therefore, I have several suggestions for handling material along the lines of our conversation.
[Facsimile Page 2]First, on the understanding that CA will screen and transmit to me all pertinent material from the FBIS, I suggest that FBIS be told no longer to transmit its file to me.
I would suggest that insofar as is practical a copy of such material be sent directly to me as well as to Ed as it appears without waiting for the now monthly letter.
I would suggest that press statements on our part, records of MAC meetings, speeches and similar unclassified material be similarly handled.
In general, it would be best that classified material such as the FBI reports on Dr. Lin or other classified material for which I may have a need in meetings continue to be sent to me here. This obviates the problem of my having to carry classified material with me on the plane.
[Typeset Page 1389]Also, please tell whoever handles it that they can cease sending me here the tear sheets from the Daily Summary but I would appreciate continuing to receive them at Prague.
I am asking Mrs. Gross, who is my secretary on a contract basis, to come in once a week to go through and sort out incoming mail, but what I suggest above will reduce its volume. I may well have other suggestions later.
With regard to Ekvall he has been told by the MA office in Paris that he should be in the States two months before his retirement date which is the latter part of February. They have told him that he should therefore plan to depart in December. Therefore, if we want to hold him through the January meeting DA should say something to the MA in Paris. So that both of us know where we stand I suggest you get someone to work on this right away with the DA and get the date definitely established.
Vreeland is also leaving but I have been able to arrange with the Consulate to have Cameron Le Clair replace [Facsimile Page 3] him beginning next meeting.
I forgot to mention in my telegram, but you will notice from the full record that I threw in a short reference to the missing military personnel at today’s meeting. I felt that in the context of mentioning my trip to the States and the press stories on the Congressional Resolution its omission by me at today’s meeting would have been conspicuous.
I hope Walter Robertson is getting along all right. Give him my best.
Sincerely yours,
- Source: Department of State, Geneva Talks Files, Lot 72D415. Secret; Official–Informal. Johnson signed the original “Alex.”↩