No. 418 NAI DFA/5/305/149/Pt1
Minute from Eoin MacWhite to Sheila Murphy (Dublin)1
Dublin, 19 May 1956
- We have failed to trace any communication from the Formosa Foreign Office despite a close search. It is possible that the impression of Mr. Koo that we do not recognize the Formosa Government is due to our non-reply to this communication which we either never received or which was received and lost.
- I have examined all the Library press clippings relating to China for 1949 to 1951 and the World Diplomatic Directory for 1950 and 1951 and I have not found any case of a re-recognition by any state of the Chiang Kai-Shek régime in Formosa. Around June 1949 most countries withdrew their Ambassadors or Ministers from Nanking, the Nationalist capital, ‘for consultations’. The Central Government of the Chinese People’s Republic was proclaimed on October 1st, 1949. In these cases of countries then recognizing the Communist régime including the USSR the procedure was first to withdraw recognition from the ‘Kuomintang Government’ by so informing the local Chinese Ambassador and then announce recognition of the Peking régime. The time difference between these two acts may have been only a matter of minutes but it shows that up to the act of withdrawal of recognition on October 2nd the Soviet Government considered that it was still legally recognising Chiang’s régime. The British went through the same procedure on January 6th, 1950 (and Egypt the other day).
Although a number of countries continue to recognize the Nationalist Chinese Ambassador or Minister accredited to their capitals, as far as can be ascertained here comparatively few have special missions in Formosa. Of those listed in the World Diplomatic Directories most are new appointments so the question of re-recognition does not arise. Indeed, in the case of the present Apostolic Internuncio the 1956 editor of the Annuario Pontifico gives the name of Archbishop Ribera, the address of the office is ‘Formosa-China’ and notes the date of presentation of letters, 6th July, 1946.
From this it is clear that no act of re-recognition is called for and, indeed, an act of de-recognition is required before according recognition to Peking!
- File 305/115/1 throws some interesting side lights on the question of our recognition of Chiang Kai-Shek’s régime. We have abstained consistently on the Chinese recognition question in UPU, ITU, ILO and WHO not on the issue of recognition but because we wished ‘to avoid taking any steps which might jeopardise the interests of such Irish Missionaries as are still endeavouring to pursue their work on the Chinese mainland’. On 9/10/1952 the Ambassador at Washington was told that he ‘may frankly inform’ Mr. Koo the (Nationalist) Chinese Ambassador of our reasons for abstaining on this issue in the ITU.2 On December 12th, 1952, the Ambassador reported that he had done so3 and in this report there is no sign on Mr. Koo’s part that he was under the impression that we did not recognize his Government; this was tacitly assumed.
On November 27th, 1953, the Ambassador at Washington reported4 an informal approach from Mr. Koo asking whether the Irish Government would consider opening diplomatic relations with the Formosa Government. It was suggested to Mr. Hearne that he inform Mr. Koo that we could not contemplate the opening of new diplomatic missions for budgetary reasons. Again our recognition was assumed and unquestioned.
On December 20th, 1955 the Ambassador at Washington reported5 that he had again been approached by Mr. Koo who asked if, in view of our membership of the UN, we might reconsider our attitude to establishing diplomatic relations with Formosa. On 25th January, 1956 Mr. Hearne was instructed6 that there was no change on this question since 1953 and that ‘there is no likelihood of any change in the foreseeable future’.
- If we wish to correct any misapprehensions that may exist in Formosa we could (i) instruct Mr. Hearne to ask Mr. Koo to inform his Government that we have never withdrawn recognition from the nationalist Government or (ii) tell Father McGrath the position and have him suggest that if they wish to have this confirmed they could make enquiries through, say, their Ambassador in Washington.
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