893.50/4–1745
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
Dr. T. V. Soong, Foreign Minister of the Republic of China, called upon me this afternoon at his request. He had lost about thirty pounds but seemed well. He told me that he had been under a great strain for the last year.
Dr. Soong had a very frank talk with me relative to the economic needs of China. He stated that the Chinese government needed assistance in the form of gold and also needed clothing and transportation equipment. He said there would be enough food to prevent starvation.
He stated that if we could help them with transportation and food and monetary stabilization he was confident the Generalissimo’s Government would stay in power.
Dr. Soong mentioned in confidence that there was no doubt in his mind that the Chinese Communists were under the domination of the Communists of the Soviet Union.
(Mr. Clayton41 joined us at this point.) I told Mr. Clayton that I felt it would be best for Dr. Soong to bring to the Department a program for the economic needs of China. When the program is presented to the Department a memorandum could be submitted to President Truman summarizing it and advising him that the Department was taking the lead in arranging for its consideration by other interested agencies.
- William L. Clayton, Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.↩