Telegram from the Romanian Embassy in Vienna to Deputy Minister Nicolae Ecobescu and Vice President of the State Committee for Nuclear Energy Ion Udrea

Telegram 078708

From the Romanian Embassy in Vienna

To comrade Nicolae Ecobescu, Deputy Minister & comrade Ion Udrea, Vice President of the State Committee for Nuclear Energy

Date: October 19, 1972

Classification: Secret

The Agency’s Secretariat decided to carry out an inspection in Taiwan on October 23-25 in virtue of the safeguards agreements previously signed with Jiang Jieshi’s administration.

In this respect, the IAEA Secretariat reissued the pretext that neither the Board of Governors nor the last IAEA General Conference have decided to cancel the agreements or forbid inspections in Taiwan.  

This inspection takes place, first of all, at Canada’s request, [as Canada is] the supplier of the research reactor.

T. Hammond, Canada’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the IAEA, told us that his government will talk to [representatives from] the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in order to explain why [these] inspections are necessary for the region’s security, including the PRC’s security; and that the Canadian government, as a supplier of nuclear equipment and materials, is partially responsible for their peaceful use. He is hopeful that the PRC will understand the situation and Canada’s position on this matter.

The inspection will be carried by Solem Lewis (USA), Head of Section for the Far East in the Inspections and Safeguards Department, who will also check the equipment delivered some time ago by the US.

We would like to inform the PRC’s Embassy in Vienna about the IAEA Secretariat’s decision. Considering that the Chinese Embassy will find out about it eventually, they should find out from us. We assume that either in Vienna or Bucharest, the PRC representatives will ask Romania to raise- given the fact that it is a member and the Vice President of the Board of Governors- the issue regarding the legitimacy of the IAEA inspection in Taiwan. It would be good to have this in mind for the Board of Governors Meeting in December.

D. Aninoiu