15. Letter From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the Military Attaché at the Embassy in France (Walters), Washington, August 8, 19711 2
August 8, 1971
Dear Dick (correct this time)
Henry would like you to see the PRC Ambassador on Monday and deliver orally the two self-explanatory messages at Enclosure 1.
Additionally, Dr. Kissinger wishes to move the meeting with the North Vietnamese to 11:00 A.M. on the 16th so that he can visit the Chinese Ambassador before the meeting with them.
Pursuant to our telephone conversation, Dr. Kissinger has decided to bring the data on moon explorations with him at the time of the next meeting.
Best wishes.
Alexander M. Haig. Jr.
Brigadier General, U.S. Army
Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Major General Vernon A. Walters
Military Attache
American Embassy
Paris, France
Haig/vmr 8-8-71
[Page 2]ORAL NOTE
MESSAGE NO. 1
“In an interview with Mr. Szulc of the New York Times, the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China in Canada hinted at the possibility of reopening a Warsaw channel. The President shares the common assessment of Premier Chou En-lai and Dr. Kissinger in Peking that the reopening of the Warsaw channel would be unwise at this time. The difficulty of instructing Ambassadors and keeping the contacts secret and the danger of confusion of channels would make the reopening of the Warsaw channel inadvisable prior to the President’s trip. Confining exchanges between the Governments to this channel offers the best guarantee of achieving the malt expeditious implementation of the objectives agreed to during Dr. Kissinger’s visit to Peking.”
MESSAGE NO. 2
“Dr. Kissinger will be in Paris secretly on August 16 on other business and wishes to meet briefly with the Ambassador of the Peoples Republic of China at 9:00 A.M. In addition to a technical matter, Dr. Kissinger, in line with his discussions in Peking with the Prime Minister of the Peoples Republic of China, wishes to discuss the President’s current outlook on the situation surrounding events in East Pakistan. Consistent with the discussion held in Peking which contemplated [Page 3] that we would inform the Peoples Republic of China of any steps we might take affecting the interests of the Peoples Republic, Dr. Kissinger proposes to outline the general approach being considered by the President designed to prevent the outbreak a hostilities between India and Pakistan. The President will allow sufficient time before implementing the specific steps contemplated his general approach in order to permit the Government of the Peoples Republic of China to offer its views should it desire to do so.”
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 849, President’s File-China Trip, China Exchanges, July 1971-Oct 20, 1971. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Published from a copy that indicates Haig signed the original.↩
- Haig instructed Walters to orally deliver two messages to Chinese Ambassador to France Huang Chen. The first message communicated President Nixon’s shared belief with Chinese Premier Chou En-lai and President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs Kissinger that the reopening of the Warsaw channel “would be unwise at this time.” The second message focused on Kissinger’s August 16 Paris visit and his desire to meet with the Ambassador in order to discuss recent events in East Pakistan.↩