Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

NLT (Maval Ade)302 Age OFFICE OF DECLASSIFIED THE SECRETARY OF STATE the E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 WASHINGTON State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 December 26, 1951 By DEB NLT, Date quer TOP SECRET SECURITY INFORMA TION SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS HUNGARY The Department has authorized Mr. Abbott, our Charge in Budapest, to inform the Hungarian Government that the US Government is prepared to pay the 360, 000 forints $30,000) fine assessed each of the American flyers downed by a Soviet plane in Hungary. The payment is subject to the proviso that satisfactory arrangements are made for the prior or simultaneous release and departure of the flyers from Hungary. Although the Hungarian banks will be closed until December 27, thus presumably making it necessary to wait until then in order to obtain physical possession of the necessary forints and to make payment, Mr. Abbott is instructed to request that, on the strength of his assurances that payment will be made, the flyers be released at the earliest possible hour before that time. Abbott is also to indicate orally at the time of payment that the payment is being made under protest. Meanwhile, our Charge has been unsuccessful in obtaining permission to visit the flyers or to send them packages. When Mr. Abbott asked the reasons for the refusal of his request a Hungarian Foreign Office official replied that the matter was under the competence of the military judicial authorities and that he would endeavor to communicate with them, but that he did not expect to be able to do so until December 27 because of the holidays. INDOCHINA French Prime Minister Pleven has handed our Ambassador in Paris a note expressing French concern regarding the situation in Indochina. M. Pleven specifically asked, as the head of the French Government, that the contents of the note be brought to the personal attention of the President. The note calls the attention of the US Government to the fact that the possibility of Chinese Communist intervention in Indo- china appears to be becoming more definite, analyzes intelligence reports concerning the area and states that consequently the French Government considers it of the utmost importance that the conversations which were to take place between the US, UK and France following the recommendations of the Singapore conference commence immediately. The intelligence analysis notes that: 1) Chinese Communist effectives stationed in the southern provinces bordering Tonkin have increased in the last six months from 170, 000 to 290,000 men; 2) South China communications and transportation facilities are constantly being reconditioned as well as the highways in the Viet Minh area of Tonkin; 3) Chinese Communist materiel aid to the Viet Minh has vastly TOP SECRET SEGURITY INF FORMATION