Historical Documents - Office of the Historian

243. Action Memorandum From the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (Berger) to Secretary of State Rusk1

Washington, March 1, 1967.

1.: Ambassador Thompson, in the attached letter, would like authority to offer to pass some of our reports on developments in Communist China to a top Soviet leader. He would do it orally and informally, and has in mind Gromyko, Firubin, or Lapin, in the course of a call. The particular report he has in mind to pass would be the first twelve paragraphs of Hong Kong’s 5773, also attached.3 Alternately, or additionally, he thinks it would be useful to show Gromyko the reporting telegram of Gronouski’s next talk with the Chinese.
2.: Ambassador Thompson thinks this might help allay Soviet suspicions of our relations with the Chinese, and perhaps lead to an exchange.
3.: He wanted these ideas tried out with you. He asked this be kept very close, since the Soviets would be concerned if there was any leak that we were exchanging information on China, and he wants to be able to say only two people know about it in the Department.
4.: I see no difficulty in offering to give the Soviets the first twelve paragraphs of the Hong Kong telegram. It reports what may be happening in various provinces in China. If the Soviets show any interest in our reports we can then provide others, including Gronouski’s report of his next talks.
5.: If you agree, I will send a letter to Ambassador Thompson along these lines.4