Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of Canada Hume Wrong, Lester B. Pearson, Norman Robinson, and George W. Perkins

24 DEPARTMENT OF STATE B 8 Memorandum of Conversation 214 DATE: July 29, 1950 SUBJECT: Formosa; Contribution of Troops by Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Mr. Lester B. Pearson, Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs; Mr. Hume Wrong, Canadian Ambassador; Mr. Norman Robertson; Clerk of the Privy Council, Canada; Mr. Dean Acheson, Secretary of State; and Mr. George W. Perkins, Assistant Secretary of State. COPIES TO: s/s - The Secretary 1-1493 Mr. Pearson asked me about the Formosan situation and about the contribution of troops by Canada to the UN for Korea. On Formosa I outlined our position to him very frankly explaining our belief that so long as hostilities continued in Korea we could not tolerate the idea of Formosa being occupied by Communist forces of any kind and repeated that of course we had no designs on the island permanently and were perfectly willing to see the problem ultimately disposed of by the UN or through other similar means. On the question of troops from Canada, I told him quite forcibly that I felt that it was of the greatest importance that AND everyone contribute as much as they could to the UN effort, and that I felt that Canada should make a commit- ment along these lines. Mr. Pearson pointed out the difficulties in the Canadian situation and in the Cabinet and also pointed out the fact that they had no troops available at the present time that could be sent. I told DECLASSIFIED STATE LTR. 6-12-79 E.0.12065 BYNLTHC NARS, Date 8.7.79