Sunny, cold, but not too windy.
Practiced on the grounds, but the fallen leaves made it difficult to retrieve the balls.
A succession of news and cables filled the day. The White House issued a statement that Castro was feverishly constructing his missile sights 【sites]. Kremlin wished to have an exchange: if the U.S.A. would demolish the missile sites in Turkey, the U.S.S.R. would do the same in Cuba. McNamara called into service 14,000 air reserve, or 24 squadrons.
Early in the afternoon, cable from Taipei: “Stand by. Important message follows.”
Yager phones Kiang 【江易生] that the U.S.A. had instructed Ambassador Galbraith to tell India, at an opportune moment, that the U.S.A. supported the McMahon Line, which was characterized as “accepted by tradition” and “generally accepted.” I thought how stupid State was.
By 6, “important message” came. Counselor of Embassy in Taipei went to the Ministry to say U.S.A. favored the McMahon line. I saw Harriman at 7, in his Georgetown home. Told him, “Support India all you want, but not in the name of McMahon Line, which has been regarded by China as symbol of British imperialism. All political groups in China oppose the Line. The Reds could easily rally the people in an anti-Line war. Taipei would have to state it opposed the Line. The U.S.A. would be confirmed as an imperialist.” Harriman said he could do nothing in the evening, but he would try to do something in the morning, and would let me know.
Cable to Taipei at 9:30 p.m.