BRIEFING AND DEBRIEFING OF THE HOUSE MINORITY LEADER, APRIL 11, 1975

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80B01495R000100170035-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 5, 2006
• Sequence Number: 35
• Publication Date: April 14, 1975
• Content Type: MFR

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G~NFIDENTIAL
April 14, 1975
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT:. Briefing-and Debriefing of the House Minority
Leader, April li, 1975
and I spent an-hour with Congressman
Rhodes discussing his recent-trip to China and providing
him a current update on South Vietnam and Cambodia. Mrs.
Clara Posey, Mr. Rhodes' personal secretary who had been
with him in China, joined us. We-gave the Congressman a
packet of FBIS material on his visit.
I began with a brief rundown on the battlefield sit-
uation in South Vietnam and Cambodia. .The Congressman
did not raise the question about whether additional aid
could change the situation, although later in .the conver-
sation he volunteered his own view that Vietnam was gone
. regardless of what was. pumped into it. The Congressman,
incidentally, was quite familiar with various Vietnamese
personalities and ARVN combat units. He felt someone,. he
was not quite sure-who, was remiss in not "kicking Thieu
in the ass."
Congressman Rhodes commented-that the Chinese Foreign
Minister dwelt-more on the Middle East than he did on the
subject of Taiwan. The US was taken to task for-its sup-
port of Israel and lack of .support for the PLO which, the
Foreign Minister said, deserved its place in the sun too.
Mr. Rhodes did .not sense any compelling urgency on the
matter of Taiwan. He did remark- that. the Chinese had seemed
upset aver-the US cancellation of a cultural troupe visit.
The. Chinese claimed cancellation of the disit, because the
group's repertory included a-song on Taiwan, was in viola-
tion of the Shanghai communique. The subject was dropped
when the Congressman replied that we deleted a number from
one of-our cultural programs- at Chinese request.
I
CONFIDENTIAL
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CONFIDENTIAL
The delegation met with Teng Hsiao-ping whom Mr. Rhodes
found somewhat cocky. Teng, for example, took-the occasion
of this first meeting to point out that he was simply a
county bay who had made goad, very good. Teng also was the
only Chinese official who seemed to make much of,a thing
about the Russians. Mr. Rhodes reported that the Chinese
very obviously did not want to see a reduced US troop com-
mitment in Europe.
Chou en-Lai was reported "in hospital." Little mention
was made of Mao and then only pro-forma. The Congressman
did not remember senior Chinese officials referring to Maa
at all. Chu Teh, the 89-year-old chief of state, was trotted
gout far the delegation. Mr. Rhodes described Chu as suf-
fering from senility. The Congressman remarked that Richard
Nixon remained quite popular with the Chinese.
The Chinese did not raise the subject of Indo-China and
it was mentioned only once when Mr. Rhodes discussed the MIA's
with the Foreign Minister who told the Congressman he had
best raise that subject with the. North Vietnamese.
From what he could see himself, and from what he was
told, Mr. Rhodes got the feeling that this was a fairly
good crap year for the Chinese.- Mrs. Posey remarked that the
markets in Peking had much less in the way of foodstuffs
then did-those in Canton and she noticed ques forming at
food stares in Peking.
? Mr. Rhodes stated that during one boat trip near
.Shanghai they observed a number of Chinese naval craft in-
cluding some KOMAR's. He managed to get some pictures be-
fore his hosts asked him to put his camera away. We will
-make arrangements to get some of these photos.
All in all, Mr. Rhodes felt the Chinese hoped to main-
tain a respectable relationship with the United States, but
that they are not going to sacrifice any of their basic 25X1
policies.
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f proposed a periodic intelligence brefing~for Mr.
Rhodes. He indicated he would like this very much and
we shall make arrangements to go forward.-
Distribution:
I - DCI
1 - DDCI
1 - DDI
1 - D/OCI
1 - D/OER
1 - D/OSR
1 - OLC
1 - OGI/EA
1 - CSO Chr
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