Thursday, 27 October

Replied to Xie Baoqiao telling him part of my difficulties.

K.T. Ken called in this afternoon to tell me that the Exchange Bureau has practically agreed to let me have my money back in US dollars. Took him out to tea with Kitty.

Replied to Long Dashan (D.S. Lund). He had written about our people in Hong Kong—Bingyi had sold his farm and was staying with Bingkun. They are now in a very difficult position. I wish I could help them!

In France, seven thousand prison staff are on strike for higher wages and all prisoners need not have to do any work. We POW (prisoners of wives) as Xie Baoqiao called us, only wish the wives, our wardens, to go on strike!

Ken was asked by Chen Xiongfei to find out whether it is true that the French Government intends to recognize the Beijing Government. Ken got in touch with certain authorities who told him that quite a few influential persons—political and financial—had put pressure on the government but the French Foreign Office was against it because,

1) The Chinese Communists are not very anxious for French recognition so France will get no return for such recognition.

2) The American Government, though negotiating herself with the Chinese Communists, was opposing her allies for doing the same thing.

3) In trading with the Chinese Communists, they cannot give you any money but simply put the amount in your credit account with them. So financially, France would not get anything at all. The arguments are quite sound, so the opposition seemed to be satisfied. At the same time the French Government has put up to the American Government the question—what would Dulles do if Zhou Enlai would declare that the Chinese Communists will not use force to get Taiwan and then asks for a meeting with him? That would naturally place Dulles in a very difficult position. But I do not think that the Chinese Communists are ready to make such a declaration. In fact, only yesterday Beijing radio claimed Macao as Chinese territory.