MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-462-1-58-4
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: September 25, 2009
• Sequence Number: 58
• Publication Date: March 29, 1973
• Content Type: MEMO

No Objection To Declassification 2009/09/25: LOC-HAK-462-1-58-4
MFMORANDUT%11 State Department
review completed
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
TOP SECRET /SENSITIVE
EXCLUSIVELY EYES ONLY
MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION
PARTICIPANTS:
NLC Review
Completed.
Ambassador David Bruce, Chief-designate of
US Liaison Office in Peking
Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, Assistant to the President
Alfred leS. Jenkins, Deputy-designate of US
Liaison Office
John H. Hoidridge, Deputy-designate of US.Liaison
Offic e
Peter W. Rodman, NSC Staff
DATE AND TIME: Thursday, March 29, 1973, 11:05 a. m. - 12:00 Noon
PLACE: Dr. Kissinger's Office
The White House
Dr. Kissinger: David, I thought we could just review what the group is
going to do there and what our concept is in setting this thing up.
Basically, the idea of the Liaison Office escalated. As you know, Al
and John, between them, were with me on every trip, and between them
they have sat in on every conversation of major substance on every trip.
The Liaison Office started really as something primarily for conducting
the business of the Paris Embassy, with political things conducted by
me and Ambassador Huang Hua in New York. Now with the level of
representation on both sides it is something different.
Incidentally, Al, your colleagues don't know this yet, but the Chinese are
sending Huang Chen, their Ambassador to France and also a member of
their Central Committee. They are also sending the chief of their protocol
department, Han Hsu. There will be an announcement tomorrow. So at
this point I see no point on continuing our contact in New York, You should
confirm, Al, when you are there [with the advance party], that we can do
this. You should repeat that Ambassador Bruce knows everything, and has
the President's full confidence, and that I can talk to the Ambassador here.
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ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
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Will you get to see the Prime Minister? You should try to see him, or
at least Ch'iao Kuan-hua. Don't do it at a level lower than Ch'iao. I
think you should have one substantive talk with a restricted group -- in
fact, just you. Can you magage that?
Mr. Jenkins: Yes. That will be no problem, especially with the group I
have with me on this trip.
Dr. Kissinger: Tell them: one, that you have been asked by me on behalf
of the President to reaffirm everything I said to the Prime Minister.
Needless to say, in preparation for the Soviet Summit there will be more
intensive consultations with the Soviet Union, but they will be kept fully
informed. There will be no surprises, and everything will be fully
consistent with the strategy the Prime Minister and I agreed upon.
Ambassador Bruce: When is the Soviet Summit?
Dr. Kissinger: June 18. This is known only in the White House.
Tell them that we will let them know about the details, but our strategy is
to gain the time without making substantive concessions -- to gain the time
we need to prepare our public opinion for closer relations with the People's
Republic, to lay the basis for other measures if they become essential.
Say that nothing new has happened since Mr. Lord dealt with their
Ambassador on my behalf, but that we will give them the details as they
develop and we will keep them fully informed on anything that should
develop before doing anything.
On Vietnam, we realize that history will not stop in Vietnam, but it is
also impossible for the United States to tolerate flagrant violations of the
Agreement that we signed. The violations have been flagrant and the
justifications have been insulting. We know all the equipment they are
sending; to say that they are civilian goods is insulting to our intelligence.
Tell them that there is a time for everything.
Secondly, we never asked them to slow down their military supply while
the war was on, because we realize they have their principles. But to keep
pouring in military supplies at a time when there is supposed to be peace
cannot be considered a friendly act. You can assure them that we are
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strictly sticking to the replacement provisions, and if there are any
questions about it we would be glad to give them a list of what we are
sending into South Vietnam on a monthly basis, for their private
information. In fact, we will do this.
Ambassador Bruce: Are they pouring equipment into North Vietnam, or
are the North Vietnamese bringing down equipment they have already
accumulated?
Mr. Kissinger: We don't really know, If it is only what they have already
accumulated, then we are in good shape, because they will not launch an
offensive unless there is a pipeline. We have good assurances from the
Soviets that they are sending no more military equipment. But we won't
tell the Chinese, at least at this level. Ambassador Bruce can do this.
We will start withdrawing the squadrons from Formosa in July as we
have told them.
Tell them also that we will be seeing Brandt, Pompidou and Andreotti this
spring, and we will inform them about these meetings. These meetings
will be in the interest of the strategy of Western cohesion that we talked
about.
Tell them also that I will be taking Ambassador Bruce with me to New
York to meet Ambassador Huang Hua, for a general discussion. [To
Ambassador Bruce] I will take you in early April when we get back.
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Mr. Jenkins: On reporting this meeting I have
Dr. Kissinger: Don't report it. Or report it just to me.
Mr. Jenkins: We won't have a channel yet. I will be busy with so many
things, I don't know if I can come back.
Dr. Kissinger: We have got to know what happened before the Ambassador
goes. David?
Ambassador Bruce: Yes.
Dr. Kissinger: Why don't you plan on coming bask.
Mr. Jenkins: All right.
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Mr. Jenkins: Porter is handling this at the Department. You will handle
it?
Dr. Kissinger: I will take care of it with Porter before you leave. Do yot25X1
agree with this, David?
Dr. Kissinger: Yes, Al, you know the fraternity over there. Your effectiveness
with the Chinese depends totally on your being a White House man. I know
the bureaucracy will want to assert its own interest. Anything you can
tactfully suggest to your colleagues as 25X1
your own idea will make it much
easier.
Mr. Jenkins: Should I mention this only if they raise it, or should I volunteer
it?
Dr. Kissinger: You should raise it. They should understand from the begin-
ning that Ambassador Bruce is the President's man.
Ambassador Bruce: The other would be much simpler.
Dr. Kissinger: Yes.
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Mr. Jenkins: A couple of things I want to mention. Privileges and im-
munities. Am I to nail this down while I am there?
Dr. Kissinger: Yes, if you can.
Mr. Jenkins: Travel restrictions. They normally restrict diplomats to
within 12 miles of Peking, except for the Ming Tombs. Occasionally they
allow visits to other cities like Canton, Shanghai and Tientsin. What
should we do?
Dr. Kissinger: Tell them that we have to put on them the same restrictions
we put on the Soviets, but you can tell them that we won't enforce them. And
ask them what they will do for you. We will just give them blanket exceptions.
Mr. Jenkins: We will tell them we plan now not to enforce the restrictions.
Dr. Kissinger: Yes, just tell them what we propose to do. I am sure they
will be forthcoming if we don't press them.
Mr. Jenkins: Some people in my shop have the idea that the Ambassador
should present a Moon Rock when he goes over there. I think it's a silly idea
this late.
Dr. Kissinger: It's already been done! We did it in July 1971.
Mr. Jenkins: That takes care of that.
Dr. Kissinger. Don't tell them it's already been done, just tell them we won't
do it.
Mr. Jenkins: Right.
Dr. Kissinger: On personnel, the Ambassador wants Nick Platt as his
assistant. We favor that. My requirement is -- of course anything that
Ambassador Bruce wants, he can do -- but to have it as disciplined an
organization as possible. We can't have people running around trying to
improve the world, or writing private letters.
Mr. Jenkins; It's a well -disciplined group. There should be no problem.
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Mr. Holdridge It's my old Hong Kong Consulate General staff reconstituted.
They all use to work for me.
Mr. Jenkins: Because of the servant problem there, the Ambassador will
need an Aide to handle these things, a young man. We have a boy named
McKinley whom Graham Martin recommended. Martin wanted to take him
to Saigon, but China was the boy's area, so he suggested that Ambassador
Bruce should have him.
Dr. Kissinger: That's all right. Incidentally, I see a lot of mention in the
traffic about putting us in the diplomatic enclave. I think, one, that they
might want to do better by us, and two, they can use the fact of the Liaison
Office as an excuse to do something better for us. So there is no reason
for us to propose the diplomatic enclave.
Mr. Jenkins.: No. In fact, they might even give us our old compound back.
Dr. Kissinger: It is inconceivable that they would accept someone of the
distinction of Ambassador Bruce and not treat us better. They had a chance
to turn down this level of representation. When we suggested Ambassador
Bruce, we also asked if they would not prefer a lesser level of representation.
They had two weeks to mull it over.
Ambassador Bruce; As to my personal requirements, I can say for myself
and Evangeline that we don't care at all what the living conditions are.
Don't let them tell you that because I am an old man I need a soft bed and
special conditions.
[At this point, Mr. Kissinger took a call on the secure line from
Mr. Schlesinger.
Ambassador Bruce: I agree, yes. It's easie
Dr. Kissinger: We will just insist on it.
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Ambassador Bruce: What is the time difference with Peking?
Mr. Jenkins 13 hours.
Dr. Kissinger: Except in the summer, when it is 12. It works very well.
We can send you messages in the evening our time; you will receive them in
the morning and then reply to us in time for morning here.
They may or may not want us in the diplomatic compound. I would leave it
to them. They have never failed us on technical arrangements.
Mr. Holdridge: If we don't ask them, they will have more leeway.
Dr. Kissinger: Al, on their visit here, tell them that anything we can do
for their advance party to make it more comfortable for them we will do. As
I already told the Prime Minister, they can make requests in two categories .
one, to the US Government, and two, to their old friends on a personal basis.
Both will be dealt with as a matter of priority.
We have already told them that they can send people down from. New York
in advance of the advance party, if they wish. Can we pay their expenses?
Mr. Jenkins: We've never done this.
Dr. Kissinger: Will they make you pay your expenses?
Mr. Jenkins: I don't know. They may put me up in the Peking Hotel.
Dr. Kissinger: Let us know. If they make you pay, then we will make the
Chinese pay. If not, we will know what to do. We will just get the money,
Mr. Jenkins: I will just mention it parenthetically, in a regular cable. I
will just say that they have asked me to stay as their guest. If I don't mention
anything like this, you will know that I paid my expenses.
Dr. Kissinger: When their advance party comes, can your colleagues avoid
it becoming a circus?
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Mr. Jenkins; I won't be here!
Mr. Holdri e, I can handle that.
Dr. Kissinger: Han Hsu is heading their advance team.
Okay. [To Mlr. Rodman] Make sure we send a message to them to tell them
that we will be setting up a direct White House channel, and that I have asked
Mr. Jenkins to bring one substantive message.
[At that point the meeting ended. Ambassador Bruce departed, Dr. Kissinger
then brought Mr. Jenkins and Mr. Holdridge back into his office and repeated
to them that the effectiveness of the Liaison Office depended on its being a
reliable channel for the White House. If Mr. Jenkins had any problem
setting up a secure channel, the White House would just have to bypass the
Peking Liaison Office. It would be easier bureaucratically if Mr. Jenkins
could get this done by making his own suggestions rather than having it
be the result of White House suggestions. ]
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No Objection To Declassification 2009/09/25: LOC-HAK-462-1-58-4