Office of the Historian

442. Telegram From the Embassy in the Philippines to the Department of State1

Manila, October 26, 1959—6 p.m.

1531. Reference (A) Taipei 31 (367 to Department);2 (B) Embtel 15253 repeat of ADMINO CINCPAC 310252Z. Third country use US bases in Philippines while never an agenda topic for exploratory bases discussions with Philippines was issue of extreme delicacy when negotiated out last year and is subject very close to surface in Philippine thinking. [5 lines of source text not declassified] At the time of Quemoy crisis in 1958 Philippines was worried, and matter publicly discussed, that hot pursuit by Chinese Communists of Chinese Nationalist plane making for sanctuary on US Philippine base might involuntarily involve Philippines. Philippine reaction to two cases of C–46’s operating under USAF control under third power agreement which during Quemoy crisis landed at field other than Clark under emergency conditions reflected this basic Philippine concern.

In our opinion, therefore [less than 1 line of source text not declassified] use of US Philippine bases in emergency, let alone for operational activities (paragraph 4 reference A), would never be accepted by Philippines unless they already involved. [4½ lines of source text not declassified]

Accordingly, although full text not available to us, we agree that language such as proposed in paragraph 4 reference B be included and be strong enough so that matter would not be raised again by [less than 1 line of source text not declassified]. CINCPACREPPHIL, COM 13th AF concur.4

Abbott
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.56396/10-2659. Secret. Sent to Taipei and repeated to the Department of State, CINCPAC for POLAD, and CINCPACREPPHIL, and 13th AF. The source text is the Department of State copy.↩
  2. Footnote [4½ lines of text] not declassified.↩
  3. Footnote [3½ lines of text] not declassified.↩
  4. Footnote [6½ lines of text] not declassified.↩