82. Memorandum for the Record, Paris, January 26, 1972, 7:30 p.m.1 2
MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD
Subject: 36th Meeting with the Chinese in Paris
On the evening of 26 January at 1930 I called as arranged two days before at the Chinese Embassy Residence in Neuilly. I was met in the usual manner. Only Tsao and Wei were present.
I then told them (reading from General Haig’s letter) the various documents I was going to give them. I then proceeded to do so.
They received the enclosures concerning the President’s speech. (I read them in both French and English. They like this system as then both Tsao and Wei know what is there. There is no doubt, however, that Tsao is the higher in the hierarchy.) They made no comment other than Tsao’s mentioning he had stayed up to hear it (0230 French time).
They seemed somewhat overwhelmed at the number of aircraft in Tab B. They accepted Tab C (Procedures for notifying PRC of departure of aircraft from Guam). Tab D they also accepted without comment as well as Tab E (The request for the medical corpsman and list of equipment needed to support aircraft). The Proposed Plan for Communications (Tab F) was also a source of some confusion to them. Terms such as “satellite suitcase terminal” left them baffled. I tried to explain and they seemed to get the general idea.
Tsao, however, asked what was the function of the two Western Union men. It was not listed as was the specialization of everyone else. He also said that they did not know the frequencies of the various aircraft. On what frequencies should Shanghai call them while in flight. I said that I would try and get the answers for him as soon as I could. He seemed slightly overwhelmed at the mass of material and said more plaintively than complaining, “It is already the 26th of January. I will have to send someone to Peking. This is too much to send by telegram.”
[Page 2]They were as friendly and pleasant as always and seemed anxious to start getting all this material off. So I did not stay and engage in the usual small talk. As I was leaving, a group of Chinese arrived in a Volkswagen minibus. Before they could see me, they were shoved around to the side entrance by Wei. I then left.
Major General, USA Defense Attache
- Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 849, President’s File-China Trip, China Exchanges, January 1-February 29, 1972. No classification marking. The meeting was held at Chen’s residence in Neuilly. No drafting date appears on the memorandum. Walters added the handwritten notation “Provided” next to the sentence beginning with “He also said that they did not know…” For additional information about the attached tabs, see Document 80.↩
- Military Attaché Walters handed the Chinese the U.S. proposal for Indochina.↩