Report from Zhang Hanfu to Zhou Enlai

Immediately send it to Chairman, Liu, Zhu, Chen, Deng and Chen for reading and then return it to me instructed by Zhou Enlai Apr. 4

Premier [Zhou Enlai]:

1. I met Ambassador U Lamao yesterday. He said that if Premier Zhou went to Burma by Yunnan-Burma Highway, he would accompany him to Burma.

2. Ambassador Monuonutu visited me this morning, telling me that he could receive the draft agreement on the nationality issue from the Indonesian Government on Friday. He repeatedly expressed his hope that the two sides could reach an agreement before the conference so as to sign it after the conference. He planned to leave Beijing for Indonesia on April 5 and hoped to meet Premier Zhou before his departure.

1. Ambassador [Nedyam] Raghavan came to see me this afternoon, talking about two matters: (1) Nehru sent him a telegram, asking him to pass on that [K.P.] Menon met Eisenhower and others in Washington, learning of the news that the American Government intended to issue a statement before the end of April that all the Chinese students in USA who wished to return to China could get permission to leave the USA. Menon considered it a good gesture and said that the Chinese side could release several Americans detained in China, such as the four pilots or some sentenced persons with a minor offense, as a show of China’s leniency. Although it was a trifle, it was favorable to the major issue of peaceful co-existence. Nehru expressed that he agreed with Menon, but it was up to Premier Zhou to make the decision, of course, and he also said that naturally nobody could ensure whether the USA would issue the statement in time. I only said that I would report it to my government.

Ambassador Raghavan asked when Premier Zhou could arrive in Rangoon, because Prime Minister Nehru, the Egyptian Prime Minister and the Afghan Vice Prime Minister would arrive in Rangoon on 15 from Delhi and leave Rangoon for Indonesia together with U Nu on 16, and he wanted to know very much when Primer Zhou would arrive in Rangoon in order to coordinate their agenda with Premier Zhou’s. Nehru also hoped that Premier Zhou would have a whole day before the conference in Indonesia so as to hold pre-conference consultations (means to arrive in Indonesia on 16).

In addition, he said that he had an Indian film (Two Acre Land), hoping Premier Zhou could see it. He expressed his concern for Premier Zhou’s illness and wished him a quick recovery. I thanked him and promised to convey his message.

Regarding the four pilots, release is not a problem, but only the choice of a right time. Since Nehru has raised this issue, it seems that we may consider expelling them from China before the Asian-African Conference. We may inform the ambassadors of India, Burma and Indonesia of Premier Zhou’s itinerary when it is decided. It will depend on the specific conditions whether to see the film.

Please give your instructions.

[Zhang] Hanfu

29 March [1955]