128. Memorandum of Conversation, New York, May 8, 1972, 8:45-9:10 p.m.1 2
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
- Ambassador Huang Hua, PRC Ambassador to United Nations
- Miss Shih Yen-hua, Interpreter
- Peter W. Rodman, NSC Staff
DATE & TIME: Monday, May 8, 1972 - 8:45-9:10 p.m.
PLACE: PRC Mission to the UN, New York City
When I arrived at 8:45 p.m., Miss Shih explained that the Ambassador could not make it back from his dinner and reception until 9:00 p.m. It was not completely under his control, she said (apparently he was a principal guest), and she apologized. She invited me to sit down for some tea. It was jasmine. She apologized for that too, since, as she recalled it, the Ambassador had promised me green tea this time.
I explained that I was carrying a letter from the President to Prime Minister Chou En-lai [attached] which we wanted to deliver in advance of the President’s speech at 9:00 p.m. I handed over the letter to her, and agreed to wait for the Ambassador. She did not read it. We chatted pleasantly about where she had learned English (in Peking) and about the difference between British and American accents.
Ambassador Huang Hua arrived a little before 9:00 p.m. I told him I had a letter and that we had wanted to deliver it before the President’s speech.
He sat down to read it and offered me a second cup of tea in the meantime. He read it slowly, almost laboriously, with a somber expression on his face. When he finished, he put it back in the envelopes and said he would see that it was conveyed to the Prime Minister. He asked if I had any additional message to convey, and I said I did not.
He then brought up the fact that on an earlier occasion we had asked him whether it would be possible for him to go to Washington to meet with Dr. Kissinger in case Dr. Kissinger would be unable to come to New York.
[Page 2]“At present,” the Ambassador said,”It is not convenient for us to go to Washington. We understand that Dr. Kissinger is very busy with his work. In case he is busy and cannot come here, he can send someone he trusts to convey the message.” This was not quite responsive to our proposal, which referred to emergencies when a meeting would be necessary. But I said simply that I would report it to Dr. Kissinger.
It was my impression that his reply was simply carrying out prior instructions, that it was the reason why Miss Shih had encouraged me to wait for him, and that it was not induced by the content of the President’s letter.
There was additional pleasant small talk while we finished our tea. The pandas came up again, and he also asked how I was getting back. He asked, interestingly, how long Dr. Kissinger had been back from Paris. I explained that Dr. Kissinger had been in Paris on Tuesday, May 2. He asked when the President was speaking, and I said 9:00 o’clock. (It was already about 9:10.)
He offered me a third cup of tea. I thanked him, but politely declined because (as I had explained earlier) I had to catch the 10:00 plane. After handshakes and smiles all around, Miss Shih accompanied me downstairs.
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 849, President’s File-China Trip, China Exchanges, March 1, 1972-June 24, 1972. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. The meeting was held at the PRC Mission at the UN. Brackets in the source text. Attached but not published is Nixon’s letter to Chou En-lai ↩
- Chinese Ambassador to the UN Huang Hua informed NSC staff member Rodman that he would be unable to travel to Washington to meet with President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Kissinger but would welcome a meeting with Kissinger in New York.↩