BURMA-CHINA BOUNDARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP08C01297R000100190010-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 13, 2012
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: March 16, 1950
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100190010-2
SECURITY
FOREIGN SERVICE OF Ti It', UNITEI_)SSTATES OF
FROM
REF
SUBJECT
ter i s$ - asst' London a No. 1288 ( 1 enclosure
08U4 For Dept.
use only.
R
E iJ
? 20
0
ar nt 9 is struetion. NOG' 69 of February 11 a 1950. i OLf
ina Be under (1h 11blat1 I
A~Mrgp rt UR
FE
Responsive to the i par nt P s Instruction under
eitelrs~ at the
e
3 bassy
he
i
n
ry~yy q~
ereence9 an Officer
t+~
l~
vAp and informed Mr. R. U.
U
A
l
are being fey rd*d. in - pt'
On they s a
the problem of the B -china boundary. There was
left With i r a Scott a copy of the Department's doonaeut
"CAI. Report No. 4447-R - The Burma-China Bonm.dar
problsn. and it was indicated that the Department
would be interested in receiving a verification oft
a*dA if possible, an enlargement on the information contained in the Report.
There is now transmitted herewith a COPY of a
letter, dated March 139 1950, adt ressed to them sasssy
h '..
by theFo reign Office enclosing rs
the Burma-0hina boundary question and pronist this
forward to the Embassy an up-to-date study
question now in the course of preparation. In adds '
tiong the letter comments at some length ontt a tOIR he
Report. It will be noted, for example,
se
view of the Foreign Office the incursion Chino
Oo unist forces into Burma last January was
of little political significance. (MOM 447 S Jan. 26)
Due to ar. acute shortage of competent secretarial
assistance, the ?nclo res to the Foreign Office letter
only.
Scott g Bead or the p a
rum IC of the Dsnartment's interest in
8
4i Foreign Off ice on 0 AU
Tvft Inrtwin t and Mr. L. C- Glass,
Tnolo Sure o
utter from Foe
Offide dated
RRingwalt/bw
3/15/50
AIA rVUW&
690b..9331/,3-1650
Iar16195O
hu.r R- Riu all
Secretary of I~Kba.887
h, "rat regulations. ep-oduction of this ru-,-age is not authorized.
Rrrai^ ~n office files n au,cr
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100190010-2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08CO1297R000100190010-2
4
F B 10510/1
Enclosure No. 1 to Despatch 1288 from London.
tct
FORRICB~ 01FI01a S.W. 1
13th March9 1950
GONFILM"I
N '-~ ~ ~_"
OQ 'II7E I.&L k
(My dear Arthur)
At the end of February you asked me to look at a
State Department paper OI 4447@R9 on the Burma-China
boundary problem, dated January S7th9 14549 with a view
to verifying and if possible enlarging the information
in that paper. You asked also if we could let you have
any of our papers about this problem.
The Foreign Office is at present preparing an
upctp?date paper on this problems of which we will lot
you have a copy as soon as it is ready. In the mean=
while 9 I send for your information copies of two rele-
vant papers already availablea
(a) The political Relations of Burma and
China (.U 4/46).
(b) eAssi ed Tract of Namwan (BUR/11/49)
We have also t f rlo ing, preliminary comments
to make on the State Department paper; some of these
pointas are expanded more fully it the Foreign Office
paper now deer preparation.
(a) Fad It may be added that Ghinew* Postal
Department w.tie also claim as Chines* all Burma north
of Myikt in - but do not indicate the ex5 =wtenoe of any
post offices Boa.
(b) Chi" o oak - this is identified by the
Chinese with the igh conical peak" of Article I of
the Anglom .inese Convention of 1894 and the "high peak"
of Article I G the nventi n of 189'7,, which is taken
as the starting-point of the defined boundslT.
ih We have f d. difficulty in identifying the
Sh hceo River.
ILLEGIB
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100190010-2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08CO1297R000100190010-2
SECURITY
CONFII~~Pg'I,~,
aezes 4 and 5 ? This seems to be unduly
elarntist , As
that large numbers s or Chinese Nationalist effoorces ply
entered Zengtung late in 1949; but the presence of
details of the 93rd Chinese Division in gengtung was
reported at least as early as January 1949; and is
June 1949 the Burmese Foreign Minister told the Ambassa-
dor in Rangoon that 500 such deserters had entered and
that they were being sent back to China though they
wanted to settle in the State
yurthere and more import-
ante the passage implies that in January 1950 there was
a considerable iaours ion of Chinese
Into Esngt g whereas the party that 1st #?eres
bsd
riot more than 30 men, who in numbered
not n greed to be disarmed before
gtung town. It looks as though this group
consisted only of an officer and escort a who same to
try to get the State authorities to hand over the men
of the 93rd Division,, but had no intention - or means
km of employing foree
(4) The paper makea no mention of the endeavotare
of the Chinese during and immediately after the late wear
to establish an administration in parts of Burma9 or
to seise Kokang; or of the trouble in Namwan during
1945 and at Waingmaw in January 1946. Theme are
matic of Chinese interest In the disputed area - and in
some areas that are not disputed. sad in
I return your paper herewith.
(Yours sincerely)
(R. H. Scott)
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100190010-2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100190010-2
~ 1 I ~ 3 Vag w~?c,,
? t
Copy Nn- L' r y
`ME b t 1A-C};INA 4Ui1 PRObI,EM
RETAIN 0"I'l DESTROY
OIR REPO1 T NO. 4447-R
January 27, 1950
THIS IS AN IN11vLLI L NCE REPORT; NOTHING IN IT
IS TO kF CONSTRUED AS A STATEi1JJ'NT OF U.S. OR
DEPATjEN TjJ P/O IC7 M AS A hEC0u1 f cEt RATION OF`
ANY GIVEN POLICY.
DEPARTS ENT OF STA1E
Division of Research for Near East and Africa
OFFICE OF INTLLLI:ENCE F.ESEIIRCR
CONFIDEjJTIIiL
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100190010-2
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/16: CIA-RDP08C01297R000100190010-2
C Virl~J.il~; -A
recent incursione by rt inese Communist forces into f