Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

NLT ( Maral Aide/354 OFFICE OF DECLASSIFIED THE SECRETARY OF STATE E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 WASHINGTON State Dept. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 By DEB NLT, Date 7-26-85 May 19, 1952 TOP SECRET SECURITY INE ORMA TION SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS KOREA Ambassador Bowles has reported a conversation with the Director General of the Indian Foreign Office, Bajpai, regarding Korea. Bajpai stated that he wished to provide information regarding certain de- - velopments, but requested that Bowles treat the information as background for the conversation which the Ambassador had last night with Nehru, on which we do not yet have a report. Madam Pandit cabled Nehru on May 10, that after talking to Chou-en-Lai she was convinced the Chinese Communists really want a truce. Chou, however, had stated that in his opinion the Americans were anxious to carry on the war and, if possible, to expand it, in the hope this might split Communist China from the Soviet Union. Madame Par it ex- pressed the strong opinion the Americans were anxious for pea at if both sides want a truce it should be easy to establish. Chou government could not accept the return of only 70,000 prisone a compromise might be reached at 100, 000. In cabling her brt me Pandit urged the Indian Government to do everything possible to some compromise. On May 12, Nehru cabled Madame Pandit stated that in his opinion the Chinese Government's position was wholly unsound; that it was wrong arbitrarily to condemn some prisoners to one side and others to the other; that it was not the actual number of prisoners returned that was important, but the method by which the choices were made. Nehru suggested that Madame Pandit present these points as her own ideas since an argument between the Government of India and Chou might only harden the situation generally. Nehru then suggested that perhaps all prisoners could be placed under neutral control; that the Communists might be given the opportunity to talk to them; and every method developed to see that a completely friendly decision was made in each case. On May 14, Indian Ambassador Pannikkar cabled that Madame Pandit was leaving Peiking and she had agreed it would be a mistake to reopen the subject following the Eden speech in the House of Commons and President Truman's speech of May 7, which in the opinion of the Chinese Government closed the door to any agreement. Nehru cabled Pannikkar TOP SECRET SECURITY INF ORMA TION