I have reviewed in detail with the President the serious situation
which has resulted from aggressive Chinese Communist military actions
in the Taiwan (Formosa) Straits area. The President has authorized me
to make the following statement.

1. Neither Taiwan (Formosa) nor the islands of Quemoy and Matsu have
ever been under the authority of the Chinese Communists. Since the end
of the Second World War, a period of over 13 years, they have
continuously been under the authority of Free China, that is, the
Republic of China.

2. The United States is bound by treaty to help to defend Taiwan
(Formosa) from armed attack and the President is authorized by joint
resolution of the Congress to employ the Armed Forces of the United
States for the securing and protecting of related positions such as
Quemoy and Matsu.

3. Any attempt on the part of the Chinese Communists now to seize
these positions or any of them would be a crude violation of the
principles upon which world order is based, namely, that no country
should use armed force to seize new territory.

4. The Chinese Communists have, for about 2 weeks, been subjecting
Quemoy to heavy artillery bombardment and, by artillery fire and use
of small naval craft, they have been harassing the regular supply of
the civilian and military population of the Quemoys, which totals some
125,000 persons. The official Peiping radio repeatedly announces the
purpose of these military operations to be to take by armed force
Taiwan (Formosa), as well as Quemoy and Matsu. In virtually every