Telegram from Chester Bowles to Secretary of State Dean Acheson

Was INCOMING TELEGRAM Department of State RE 16-14-X TOP SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION Action Control: VR-585 Rec'd: November 9, 1952 NEA FROM: New Delhi 11:25 a.m. Info TO: Secretary of State SS G NO: 1960, November 8, 4 p.m. EUR FE UNA Ref EMBTEL 1796, Oct 29. Deputy British High Commissioner informed us today in strictest confidence of further conversation Oct 31 between Indian Ambassador Raghavan and Chinese Foreign Minister Chou En-lai in Peiping. Indian Foreign Secretary R. K. Nehru had given information to British High Commissioner recently on top-secret basis and had added it was being given to no (rpt no) other government at that time Deputy British High Commissioner requested our knowledge of information be not (rpt not) in any way made known to Indians or others; otherwise source will dry up and any influence GOI may have with Chinese Communists may be seriously prejudiced. We agreed receive information on this basis. Deputy British High Commissioner first reviewed substance conversation between Indian Ambassador and Chinese Foreign Minister on October 18 which appears to be that touched upon in EMBTEL 1796. At that time Chinese Foreign Minister had indulged in recriminations against UN and particularly US for approximately one hour after which he outlined current Chinese views on truce proposals at Panmunjom. He stated all three proposals are unacceptable because all of them are based on forcible detention. He said in extremely vague terms that his government concluded that so-called "Chiang Kai-shek" agents are not, in effect, genuine Chiang Kai-shek agents. Chinese POWs would want to return home if they were in real neutral camp. Chinese Foreign Minister advanced three points: 1. Repatriation of all POWs after armistice; 2. Specific method and procedure open to discussion; 3. Principle of no (rpt no) forced repatriation permeates all three UN proposals and as such they are unacceptable because POWs are under forcible military control. In spite of Chinese belief on these three points, Chinese have accepted reasonable elements in three UN proposals regarding method and procedure. However, screening in demilitarization zone is completely unacceptable. US side broke off Panmunjom negotiations not (rpt REPRODUCTION FROM THIS COPY, IF CLASSIFIED, IS -94 TOP SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION PROHIBITED 16-67338-1 GPO 97