DEPARTMENT OF STATE
GIST: COMMUNIST CHINA-NEPAL: Nepalese Report on Recent Sino-Nepalese Conversations
INR BRIEFING NOTE
TO: The Director, INR
DATE: June 12, 1968
TIME: Reg. Morning
COMMENTS CONTAINED IN INR BRIEFING NOTES ARE INITIAL AND TENTATIVE.
SOURCE(S)
TDCS
314/09301-68
7 June 1968
(From report by reliable source on briefing and discussion of mission by Nepalese Foreign Minister)
CLASS./CONTROL(S)
S/NF
During the recent visit to Peking of Nepalese Foreign Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista, CFR Foreign Minister Ch'en Yi made the following comments on the world scene and Sino-Nepalese relations: (1) there could be no peace in Vietnam as long as the U.S. remains there, whether there are peace talks or not; (2) both China and Nepal should forget and forgive the incidents in June and July 1967—i.e., anti-Chinese demonstrations in Nepal. There was undoubtedly a misunderstanding on both sides which must be worked out; (3) the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Yang Kung-su, and other ambassadors are receiving Cultural Revolution training but will be returning to their posts soon. (Yang was not present at any meetings during the Nepalese visit.)
Nepalese Foreign Secretary Yadu Nath Khanal, who accompanied Bista on the trip, found Mao Tse-tung "physically older" than when he had last seen him in 1961 but, mentally, very alert. Khanal was not impressed by Lin Piao whether in the presence of Mao or Chou En-lai. In his opinion, Lin Piao will not be able to succeed Mao for very long.
Field Comment: A Nepalese businessman who is an unofficial advisor to Bista reports that Ch'en Yi also told Bista that, if officials of the CFR Embassy in Kathmandu engage in activities objectionable to the GOV, the GOV should inform the Chinese Government through the Nepalese Embassy in Peking. According to the report, Ch'en Yi stated that action would be taken against such officials, including their withdrawal if necessary. He admitted that the disturbances of last year were aggravated by the overzealousness of Chinese officials in Kathmandu.
INR/RE Comment: We believe it likely that Ch'en did in fact attempt to conciliate the Nepalese regarding Chinese heavy-handedness last summer which led to strained relations between China and Nepal. Such a conciliatory move fits in with recent evidence that the CFR is making various efforts to patch up relations with some nations where "Red Guard Diplomacy" led to friction during the stormy summer of 1967.
INR OFFICE
BRIEFER
EXTENSION
1/AC
Thomas/Keogh
4959
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SECRET/RESTRICTED
(Classification)
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