d conciliation should
never be abandoned in favor of force and strife. While we shall never
timidly retreat before the threat of armed aggression, we would
welcome in the present circumstances negotiations that could have a
fruitful result in preserving the peace of the Formosa area and
reaching a solution that could be acceptable to all parties concerned
including, of course, our ally, the Republic of China.

On the morning of August 23d the Chinese Communists opened a severe
bombardment of Quemoy, an island in the Formosa Straits off the China
Coast. Another island in the same area, Matsu, was also attacked.
These two islands have always been a part of Free China--never under
Communist control.

This bombardment of Quemoy has been going on almost continuously ever
since. Also, Chinese Communists have been using their naval craft to
try to break up the supplying of Quemoy with its 125,000 people. Their
normal source of supply is by sea from Formosa, where the Government
of Free China is now located.

Chinese Communists say that they will capture Quemoy. So far they have
not actually attempted a landing, but their bombardment has caused
great damage. Over 1,000 people have been killed or wounded. In large
part these are civilians.

This is a tragic affair. It is shocking that in this day and age naked
force should be used for such aggressive purposes.

But this is not the first time that the Chinese Communists have acted
in this way.

In 1950 they attacked and tried to conquer the Republic of Korea. At
that time President Truman announced the intention of protecting
Formosa, the principal area still held by Free China, because of the
belief that Formosa's safety was vital to the security of the United
States and the free world. Our Government has adhered firmly ever
since 1950 to that policy.

In 1953 and 1954 the Chinese Communists took an active part in the war
in Indochina against Viet-Nam.

In the fall of 1954 they attacked Quemoy and Matsu, the same two
islands they are attacking now. They broke off that attack when, in
January 1955, the Congress and I agreed that we should firmly support
Free China.

Since then, for about 4 years, Chinese Communists have not used force
for aggressive purposes. We have achieved an armistice in Korea which
stopped the fighting there in 1953. There is a 1954 armistice in
Viet-Nam; and since 1955 there has been quiet in the Formosa Straits
area. We had hoped that the Chin