By sending the Seventh Fleet into the Taiwan Strait, the U.S. Executive Branch has forcefully emphasized its position that Formosa is an international problem, not China's internal problem.




Memorandum of Conversation by Colonel Stanton Babcock of the Department of Defense
Date: October 23, 1950
Subject: Japanese Peace Treaty

[Ambassador of China] Dr. Wellington Koo's principal objection to the proposed treaty was the provision that the status of Formosa should be settled by the United Nations.

[U.S. Secretary of State] Mr. Dulles replied that he understood the Chinese viewpoint but that he wanted to be absolutely sure that China understood the United States stand. He pointed out that it was only because we took the view that Formosa represents a problem which should be settled by international agreement that we were able to protect Formosa with the Seventh Fleet. Were we to accept the Chinese point of view our use of the Seventh Fleet would constitute an interference in China's internal problems.


[ source: United States Department of State / Foreign relations of the United States, 1950. East Asia and the Pacific,   Volume VI (1950), page 1325 ]

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