5. Memorandum of a Conversation Between the Secretary of State and Representative Richards, Washington, August 2, 19551

Congressman Richards and his wife and daughter had dinner with Mrs. Dulles and me. After dinner Congressman Richards and I talked alone in my library. I referred to the speech which the Congressman had made the day before about Far Eastern matters.2 I said that I appreciated the references which he had made to me and that I agreed there was need for caution in dealing with this situation.

Congressman Richards said, in substance, that he thought there was entire agreement on the part of both Democrats and Republicans in the House on a policy of caution, as regards Red China. There was a general feeling that Senator George had gone too far in encouraging [Page 11] a resumption of relations and, in particular, in encouraging the idea of talks between Chou En-lai and me.

He said that there was a general feeling in the House that I was somewhat less disposed than either the President or Senator George to move toward friendly relations with Communist China; that he realized that if this were the case, I was in a difficult spot but that I should know that the House of Representatives was virtually unanimous in supporting what they considered to be my position.

I said that I did feel that Senator George had gone a bit too far too fast but that I had the impression from my talk with him the day before3 that he would slow up in this respect. I said that so far as the President was concerned there never had been any significant differences between us in relation to foreign affairs, that while we sometimes expressed ourselves somewhat differently, I was confident that at bottom we were in complete agreement.

I asked Congressman Richards whether he planned to go abroad this fall, that if he were in Europe I would like to have him drop in on us at Geneva4—he said that he expected to stay in this country.

JFD
  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Memoranda of Conversation. Drafted by Dulles on August 3.
  2. For the statement made by Representative Richards in the House of Representatives on August 1, see Congressional Record, vol. 101, pt. 10, pp. 12689–12690.
  3. Recorded in a memorandum of conversation by Dulles, dated August 2, which reads in part as follows:

    Senator George indicated in reply to my suggestion, that he did not plan to say anything more, for the time being, about possible talks between Chou En-lai and myself. Indeed his manner seemed slightly apologetic as I referred to what he had said on the matter in the past.” (Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, Senator Walter George)

  4. Dulles was to be in Geneva in October and November for a meeting with the British, French, and Soviet Foreign Ministers.