Presidential Papers, Doc#1369 To George Magoffin Humphrey, 29 March 1955. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower
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Doc #1370

Document #1369; March 29, 1955
To George Magoffin Humphrey
Series: EM, AWF, Administration Series
The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, Volume XVI - The Presidency: The Middle Way
Part VII: "Nothing could be worse than global war"; January 1955 to May 1955
Chapter 15: Searching "for an honorable peace"

 

Dear George: I talked to Foster about your suggested statement.1 He chuckled and said, "George is certainly getting tough--you and I have never attempted to say that the Chinese Reds should concede all of the things that he demands."2

Possibly I shall get a chance to talk to you a little further about the matter this evening.3 As ever

1 Believing that the Chinese Communists were preparing for an attack on the islands of Quemoy and Matsu, with Formosa as their objective (see no. 1363), Humphrey had suggested that Eisenhower restate the U.S. position regarding the Formosan situation "so clearly and so definitely that the Chinese Communists cannot possibly misunderstand. . . ." The United States, Humphrey said, should announce its support of the Nationalists "in their resistance to this attack wherever and by whatever means are most appropriate to defend these islands, including the destruction of the Chinese support positions on the mainland of China; -1) unless the Chinese Communists formally agree to the long-continued peaceful possession of Formosa and the Pescadores by the Chinese Nationalists or their successor friendly and peaceful governments and then after such formal assurance

2) until there has been adequate time to peacefully evacuate all of the present occupants of Quemoy and the Matsus who desire to return to Formosa and the Pescadores" (Humphrey to Eisenhower, Mar. 28, 1955, AWF/A).

2 Dulles had told Eisenhower that he thought Humphrey's proposals "quite unrealistic" and that "while this gambit might be good from the standpoint of domestic opinion, it would almost surely be treated as an insincere effort on the part of foreign countries" (Memorandum of Meeting, Mar. 29, 1955, Dulles Papers, White House Memoranda Series).

3 Humphrey would attend an off-the-record dinner at the White House.

Bibliographic reference to this document:
Eisenhower, Dwight D. To George Magoffin Humphrey, 29 March 1955. In The Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower, ed. L. Galambos and D. van Ee, doc. 1369. World Wide Web facsimile by The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission of the print edition; Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, http://www.eisenhowermemorial.org/presidential-papers/first-term/documents/1369.cfm

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