893.20/311: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Consul General at Shanghai (Cunningham)
121. For the Minister. Your March 28, 9 a.m.
A paraphrase of the message from the Military Attaché to the War Department contained in your March 14, 10 a.m., was transmitted to the War Department under date March 14. In a letter dated March 24, the War Department states that it is not interested in sending an aviation training mission to China; that the Military Attaché’s message has been sent to the Department of Commerce for consideration from the standpoint of civilian aviation interest; and that the Military Attaché is being appropriately informed by radio.
The Department notes from your March 14, 10 a.m. that the proposed aviation training mission is “to be made available to the Chinese Government immediately after the termination of the present critical Sino-Japanese situation”. The Department is of the opinion that it would be inadvisable for this Government to take any steps in connection with the sending to China of such a mission while the present Sino-Japanese situation continues as it is. It is of course impossible to predict when that situation will be liquidated.
The Department believes that it would be well for the Chinese Government to handle this matter through its own Legation here, which Legation, if given the handling of it, should confer with the Department before proceeding. In case Soong should desire to cause appropriate instructions to be sent to the Legation and the Legation should approach the Department, the Department is prepared to discuss the subject with the Legation in the light of the above.