COMMENTS REDACTED ON THE VIETNAM CEASEFIRE, PUBLICITY SURROUNDING THE RETURN OF

Created: 3/24/1973

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Intelligence Information Cable

CHINA/VIETNAM/CHINA (TAIWAN) DOI 3

SUBJECT COMMENTSON THE VIETNAM CEASEFIRE, PUBLICITY

SURROUNDING THE RETURN OF AMERICAN POWS, TAIWAN, AND CHINA'S POPULATION PROBLEM

[STATED THAT SOUTH

VIETNAMESE PRESIDENT NGUYEN VAN AS CONSPIRING TOVIETNAM CEASEFIRE AND ATTEMPTING TO STRENGTHEN HIS OWNPOSITION. CONFIDENTLY THAT

THIEU'S EFFORTS WOULD FAIL AND PEACE WOULD COME TO VIETNAM.

APPROVED FOR RFIEASE DATE:1

secret

HATEASEFIRE INWOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY AGREEMENT BETWEEN WASHINGTON ANDESTABLISHED THAT ITTHE INTEREST OF BOTH WASHINGTON AND PEKING TO ENSURE THATPEACEFUL.

COMMENTING ON THE VOLUME OF PUBLICITY SURROUNDING THE RETURN OF AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR,SAID PEKING BELIEVED ITELIBERATE PUBLIC RELATIONS EFFORT STAGED BY WASHINGTON IN ORDER TO REKINDLE LAGGING PATRIOTISM IN THE UNITED STATES AND CONCEAL' THE MISTAKES MADE IN VIETNAM.

IN DISCUSSING THE PRC'S RECENT OVERTURES TO TAIWAN, SAID PEKING WAS HOPEFUL THAT THE CHINESE NATIONALIST LEADERS AIWAN WOULD AGREE TOIALOGUE WITH THE MAINLAND. LAUGHED AT THE RUMORS THAT CHINESE NATIONALIST PREMIER HING-KUO HADECRET VISIT TO PEKINGl HE STATED EMPHATICALLY THAT NEITHER CHIANG NOR ANY OTHER CHINESE NATIONALIST LEADER HAD VISITED THE MAINLAND NOR HAD ANY HINTED THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO MAKERIP.ED THAT HE WOULD NOT RULE OUT THE POSSIBILITYISITHINESE NATIONALIST OFFICIAL, SINCE PEKING HAD DELIBERATELY LEFT THE DOOR OPEN FOR SUCH AN EVENTUALITY.

SYSTEM, WHICH PREVAILED IN THE RURAL AREAS, WAS COUNTERPRODUCTIVEPOPULATION CONTROL PROGRAM, SINCE THE RATION SYSTEMCHINA'S PEASANTS TO HAVE MORE CHILDREN IN ORDER TOPEKING WAS STUDYING VARIOUS WAYS OF

OVERCOMING THIS SHORTCOMING IN THE POPULATION CONTROL PROGRAM, BUT AS YET NO ALTERNATIVE TO THE RATION SYSTEM HAD BEEN FOUND TO BE PRACTICAL.

Original document.

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