September 16, 1958
EISENHOWER TO KHRUSHCHEV: Newport, Rhode Island, 13 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s reply to the latest message from Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev, released today, makes a full clarification of America’s stance regarding the problem of Formosa. Written in a spirit of moderation and peace, it invites the Soviet Union to exert pressure on Red China to renounce its attempt to conquer Formosa, which does not recognize communist sovereignty. However, Formosa has agreed to negotiate to resolve the current dangerous situation. The US president said, among other things, that the dangerous tension in the region was a direct outcome of communist actions. The Chinese communists, he added, had without provocation begun to bombard the island of Quemoy and had begun to obstruct the delivery of supplies to the island’s military and civilian personnel. This had begun three weeks after Khrushchev’s visit to Peking. The Chinese capital’s official radio station had repeatedly stated that the purpose of these military maneuvers was the conquest of Formosa as well as the islands of Quemoy and Matsu and that these territories were the objective of the «Chinese People’s Liberation Army.»
