Telegram: from the Charge in China (Strong) to the Secretary of State

Date: Oct. 23, 1949, Chungking

Subject: U.S. Policy on Taiwan

As a third major point in conversation on October 22, Chu Chang-Wei said President Li [Zongren] was anxious to be informed of U.S. policy on Taiwan and declared Li authorized him to say that Li was willing to see Taiwan in hands of a friendly country rather than taken by Chinese Communists as they (are already) controlled by USSR. Chu stated Li would prefer a joint Sino-American Commission govern Taiwan, but if U.S. did not favor this proposal, U.S. could properly take over Taiwan by "right of conquest." To avoid charges that such action violated moral obligation undertaken by U.S. at Cairo to return Taiwan to China, he explained U.S. could promise to cede Taiwan back to China some future time. Moral obligation of U.S. respect to recovery of Taiwan by China had now become, he averred, responsibility to keep island from Communist control.

[ source: United States Department of State / Foreign relations of the United States, 1949. The Far East: China Volume IX (1949), page 400 ]

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