The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

November 21, 2007


Dear Madam Secretary,

I make reference to the Dept. of State's "Background Note: Taiwan" located on the internet at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35855.htm

It is quite surprising to me to see that this page fails to make any mention of the Senate-ratified San Francisco Peace Treaty (SFPT), under which China, a non-party, was not entitled to any benefits under Article 2(b) dealing with the territory of Taiwan.

Beginning with the Truman Statement of June 27, 1950, the US position on the Taiwan status question has been "undetermined."   In military parlance such terminology is generally equivalent to "under military occupation."

In the SFPT of April 28, 1952, Japan renounced all right, title, and claim to Taiwan, but no "receiving country" was specified. As clarified by the Truman Statement and the SFPT, the United States has never recognized the forcible incorporation of Taiwan into China.

Such an interpretation must be recognized by all US government agencies under the terms of the SFPT. After all, under Article VI of the US Constitution, the Senate-ratified SFPT is part of the "supreme law of the land."   Need I remind you of this??

It is my sincere hope that your staff can update this "Background Note: Taiwan" page at an early date.

Thank you.


Sincerely,



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