IMPORTERS AS U.S. “SPIES”

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28367, 28 August 1957, Page 7

IMPORTERS AS U.S. “SPIES”

State Department “Resentment”

9 press Association —Copyright) 1 P-® 3 f WASHINGTON, Aug. 26. State Department said to- ' that it bitterly resented ComChina’s “fantastic” charge Kfhe United States sought to “ American reporters as spies, 'rhe department spokesman, Mr ■iecoln White, was replying to Sements in the chief Chinese -ommunist newspaper, the -peoples’ Daily,” that the United slates decision to permit corresindents to go to China was completely unacceptable,” withal reciprocity. jfr White reiterated the State Martnient’s position that there Si be no reciprocity. “It was jjde clear that this is not an programme,” Mr White “Fantastic” "The department bitterly re--uts the implication that it seated 24 ‘spies’ to go to Red fhiaa Everyone knows how fanastfc that charge is.” Ur White said that he believed •a Chinese Government itself jijht agree to issue visas to the (orrespbndents, in spite of the rejection by the Daily.” He said that there were induces ’where “Pravda” takes a joe one day, and the Soviet Government itself takes a differed line the next day. Mr White ai that the Chinese Commujists last year invited several toiled States correspondents to visit Peking without demanding ttciprocity. Mr White said that quite a few tf the correspondents invited by te Chinese last year were among tho group nominated by newswithering organisations to go to China at this time. “What seems to me to be the clincher in all this is that those invited last year the Chinese Communist regime tow suddenly become United States ‘spies’.”

Senator’s Attack The State Department’s refusal to allow reporters from Commutist China to enter the United States was vigorously attacked today by Senator William Fulbright (Democrat, Arkansas), rho had Introduced a Senate renhrtion last Monday calling for the removal of the Administration ban against letting United Sates reporters visit Communist China.

“If our script is better than theirs why isn’t it good policy not to let everyone know about it!* Senator Fulbright said. The Soriet Union already had a number of correspondents in the United States, he said.

Senator Fulbright said that if the Chinese approached the problem “with this antagonistic attitude, you will have to be careful that they don’t send spies.”