Speech #860216228

Speaker. under leave to extend my remarks in the RECORD. I include the following press release issued by the State Department on April 20. 1960. It is strange how many still believe it is our State Department that prevents American reporters from carrying on their work in Communist China: A year ago the Department of State. in announcing (Press Release No. 281 dated April 23. 1959) the extension of the validation of passports of American correspondents to travel to Communist China. stated: "The Department has repeatedly made it clear that if any bona fide Chinese Communist newspaperman should apply for a visa. the Secretary of State is prepared to consider recommending to the Attorney General a waiver under the law so that a visa A3649 could be granted. Not one Chlnlese Communist correspondent has yet filed an application. American law does not permit the Department to do what the Chinese Communists demand. which is to agree in advance to admit an equal number of Chinese Communists. even before their identities are known to us. If the Chinese Communists were indeed interested in reciprocity. they would have an equal number of Chinese newsmen apply for visas." In the year that has passed the Department: 1. Added 2 more to the list of the 30 American news organizations authorized to send one representative each to Communist China. bringing the total to 32. 2. Removed from the validation the reference to the Communist controlled portions of China. which reference several American newsmen had indicated might militate against their receiving a visa to enter Communist China. These passports now have no time limitation other than the periods for which they are normally valid. In the same year. despite U.S. initiatives: (a) The Chinese Communists have not granted a single visa to an American correspondent to enter Communist China. (b) Not a single Communist Chinese correspondent has filed an application for an American visa to enter the United States. (c) The Chinese Communists have continued to insist that. if there is to be travel of newsmen to each others countries. an agreement must be announced for this purpose. This agreement must promise "equal and reciprocal treatment." It should be noted that the United States has never had such an agreement with any other country. Nor has the Peiping regime apparently found it necessary to conclude such an agreement. even with those countries where it has no diplomatic relations and where journalists of its official New China News Agency operate. i.e..