Office of the Historian

47. Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig), Beijing, October 23, 19711 2

Beijing, October 23, 1971
[Page 1]

TO:

  • GEN HAIG

FROM:

  • HENRY KISSINGER

TO BE DELIVERED OPENING OF BUSINESS

QV WILL ADJUST ARRIVAL TIME AS REQUESTED. IF THE REASON FOR DELAY IS CHIREP VOTE PLEASE CONSIDER IMPACT OF MY ARRIVAL FROM PEKING JUST AFTER WE HAVE BEEN DEFEATED. I CANNOT DELAY MY DEPARTURE FROM HERE AND WILL THEREFORE HAVE TO LAY OVER EITHER AT ANCHORAGE OR IN HAWAII. OUR DEPARTURE WILL BE REPORTED IN ANY EVENT AND THERE WILL BE SPECULATION ABOUT REASONS FOR DELAY IN ARRIVAL. AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE NEVER BELIEVED THAT MY VISIT AFFECTS THE CHIREP VOTE. WHATEVER IMPACT IT HAS HAD IS ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED, IT WILL NOT BE COMPOUNDED BY MY RETURN. IF THE ORDER STICKS, WE SHALL LAY OVER IN ANCHORAGE. IT INVOLVES A BRUTAL SCHEDULE FOR EVERYBODY WITH IN EFFECT TWO NIGHTS WITHOUT SLEEP. HAS THE PR IMPACT OF OUR LAYING OVER IN ANCHORAGE BEEN CONSIDERED? WE WOULD APPRECIATE GUIDANCE ON THIS.

[Page 2]

2. AS FMR SAUDI AMENDMENT, IT IS MY CONSIDERED OPINION THAT Chou WILL CONSIDER IT INTOLERABLE AND DUPLICITOUS, AFTER EXTENSIVE EXPLANATION THAT DEFEAT OF OUR CHIREP RESOLUTION NOT EVEN IN PRC INTEREST. Chou IS WILLING TO TOLERATE OUR PRESENT COURSE ESPECIALLY TOWARDS PRESIDENT AND ROGERS IF WE WIN PRESENT CHIREP RESOLUTION, WE CAN GET BY WITHOUT UNDUE STRAIN. Chou HAS HOWEVER INSISTED AT EVERY SESSION THAT PRC WILL NEVER HOLD STILL FOR THE ELABORATION OF NEW LEGAL STATUS FOR TAIWAN. HE HAS CRITICIZED EVEN ALBANIAN RESOLUTION FOR LEAVING THIS OPEN. AN OFFICIAL U.S. EXPLANATION REPEATING THE JUNE FIASCO THAT LEGAL STATUS OF TAIWAN IS UNDETERMINED WOULD BE ALMOST AS BAD AN AFFRONT, TO DO SO SO SOON AFTER Chou MADE THESE POINTS EXPLICITLY TO ME CAN HAVE ONLY ONE OBVIOUS CONSEQUENCE. U.S. SUPPORT FOR SAUDI RESOLUTION SHOULD THEREFORE BE TAKEN IN FULL AWARENESS THAT IT UNDERCUTS ENTIRE BASIS OF PRESENT APPROACH TO PEKING AND ALL OF THIS FOR AN AMENDMENT WHICH IN MY JUDGMENT HAS NO CHANCE WHATEVER OF BEING ACCEPTED. IF WE CANNOT GET A MAJORITY FOR THE RELATIVELY SAFE IQ HOW CAN WE POSSIBLY GET ONE FOR THIS WHICH IS AN EVEN SHARPER VERSION OF DUAL REPRESENTATION. PLEASE MAKE THIS CLEAR TO THE PRESIDENT—IF NECESSARY, BY READING THIS PARAGRAPH TO HIM.

3. IN CASE ANYONE IS INTERESTED, THINGS ARE GOING STRENUOUSLY WELL. OUR HOSTS ARE TOUGH BUT STILL TREATING THE PRESIDENTS VISIT AS A SERIOUS EVENT.

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 1035, Files for the President-China Material, China-HAK October 1971 Visit. Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message indicates that it was to be delivered at the opening of business. Received at the White House at 5:21 a.m. A notation on the memorandum reads: “HAIG ONLY.” Haig underlined the sentence: “Chou has however insisted at every session that PRC will never hold still for the elaboration of new legal status for Taiwan.”↩
  2. Kissinger agreed to delay his return to Washington until after the United Nations vote, even though he argued that his visit had not affected the “Chirep” vote. He also recommended that American officials should minimize the use of language supportive of Taiwan, as it could jeopardize relations with the People’s Republic of China.↩