Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

DEPARTMENT OF STATE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON July 13, 1950 S C R E T SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS KOREA Ambassador Douglas in London reports the British Foreign Office belief that the Chinese Communists will delay an attack on Formosa indefinitely. The little evidence available to the Foreign Office indicates that the Communist emphasis is now being placed on Korea and the land approaches to it. The Foreign Office, however, told Douglas that the US legal position toward Formosa is much less secure than the position toward Korea, and added that should the USSR attempt to attack the US action in neutralizing Formosa, the US could not begin to count on unanimous support among democratic nations, and might even find itself in an "embarrassing minority position. 11 Evaluating the Korean problem, the British Foreign Office continues to believe that the USSR is not yet ready to commit itself to world war. UNITED KINGDOM We have expressed to our Embassy in London our astonishment over a statement recently made by a British Foreign Office representative to the effect that the UK cannot agree to export controls over shipments to China. We had assumed that controls over Chinese shipments had already been put into effect by the British, and are greatly disturbed to learn that not only have no controls been instituted from Hong Kong and Singapore but apparently there have been no controls put into effect in Great Britain itself. We have requested our Embassy to ascertain the UK's intention in this matter and to make representations to the British at the highest level if the foregoing information proves to be correct. DECLASSIFIED SECREI E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-4,02 State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1932 By DEB NLT Date, 6-5-85