Evening star., 1955-03-05
Formosa Press
Specu|ates on
Matsu PuIIout
TuIks of Nationalist
And u. S. Officers
Continue in Tuipei
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY the Assoeiotsd Press
TAIPEI, Formosa, Mar. S.
Nationalist China and the United
States went on with top military
talks today amid intense specu-
lation in the Chinese press that
the Nationalists might be quitting
their Matsu Island outposts.
There was no confirmation
that Chang Kai-shek's garrisons
would leave the Matsus, 100 miles
across the FormoSa Strait from
the northern tip of this Ma
tionalist island stronghold, but
security considerations might
blank out any news on that
score.
The Matsu Island group is
only 20 miles off the Red China
mainland.
A Red flotilla of 40 gunboats
and armed junks staged a brief
attack against one of the small
led Matsu islands yesterday, the
Nationalist said. There was no
indication it was anything more
than hit and run raid.
Dulles Still Concerned.
But in Honolulu, United States
Secretary of State Dulles said
II am still concerned about hos
tile intentions of the Chinese
Communists"
Mr.. Dulles is en- route home
after a whirlwind trip through
Southeast Asia and Formosa. In
Taipei Thursday he bluntly
warned the Reds they could not
expect immunity for their main
land bases if they attacked
Formosa.
CA Peiping broadcast heard
in Tokyo quoted two Nation
alist flyers as describing For
mosa as panic stricken" over
losses of offshore islands and
by the Reds professed intent
to "liberate" Formosa. The
Red broadcast said the airmen
detected from the Nationalist
and flew to the mainland
February 49,
The Tachen Islands, 200 miles
northwest of Formosa, were
evacuated by the Nationalists
under the protection of the
United States 7th Fleet without
a shot being fired in early Feb
tuary. The Nationalists later
quit Nanchishan. lao miles
northwest of here.
Top-Level Talks Continue.
Top-level talks proceeded in
downtown Taipei.
Newspapers here speculated
that one of the items being dis
cussed was the creation Of a
joint Nationalist United States
defense command in this area.
Among those taking part in
the talks were Admiral Robert
B. Carney, United States Chief
of Naval Operations; Armiral
Felix B. Stump, commander of
the Pacific Fleet; Vice Admiral
Alfred M. Pride, commander of
the 7th Fleet, and Maj. Gen.
William c. Chase. head of the
Military Assistance Advisory
Group.
Also at the conference table
were Nationalist Foreign Min
lister George Yeh, Defense Min
lister Yu Ta-wei, and the acting
chief of the general staff, Gen.
Peng Meng-chi.
More U. s. Aid Expected.
Nationalist quarters appeared
confident of a big boost in the
volume Of American aid to For
moSa.
The treaty made the two
countries formal allies in the de-
fense of Formosa, the Pescadores
and American island territories
in the West Pacific.
1t was generally assumed that
the United States would build
up the strength of Gen. Chiang's
armed forces to enable them to
contribute as much as possible
to the defense of Formosa if the
Reds attack.
Admiral Carney said the Ma
tionalist-American military talks
here had identified the problems
involved in combined action, if
necessary, in defense of the area.
He spoke at news conference
before leaving for Washington.
Shipments already programmed
should be speeded up, and I in
tend to see that they are," Ad-
miral Carney asserted.
The American admirals and
Gen. Chase were dinner guests
last night of President and Mrs.
Chang. Admirals Stump and
Pride plan to remain over the
week end for further military