Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1934, The Far East, Volume III

893.20/499

The Secretary of State to the Secretary of Commerce ( Roper )

Washington , October 8, 1934.

My Dear Mr. Secretary: The receipt is acknowledged of your letter of September 24, 1934,³ in regard to the participation, through the efforts of the Department of Commerce, of American nationals in instructing Chinese student aviators in aviation schools in China. You mention the participation of certain former or reserve United States Army officers and references to this matter in the hearings before the Nye Munitions Committee,⁴ and you inquire whether in the opinion of this Department any review of the situation would be made in the light of present conditions. You state that so far as you know this Government is entirely divorced from the activities of the Chinese aviation school except that certain former or reserve Army officers are employed as instructors at the expense of the Chinese Government.

Following the receipt of your letter, a careful review has been made of the records of this Department in regard to the participation of American nationals in aviation schools in China. That review indicates that this Department was approached in regard to the project which ultimately resulted in the establishing of a Chinese Government aviation school at Hangchow, China, and that the facts in regard to the action taken by and the attitude of this Department relating to that project are as follows:

Under date March 14, 1932, this Department received a telegram from the American Minister to China, who was then at Shanghai,⁵ transmitting the text of a message for the War Department from the American Military Attaché in China. The Military Attaché’s message stated that he had been requested by a high official of the Chinese Government to obtain the services of a group of qualified Americans to organize and operate an air school where military aviators might be trained for the Chinese Government. This Department forwarded to the War Department, as requested, the Military Attaché’s message. In reply the War Department informed this Department under date March 24, 1932, that that Department was not interested in sending an aviation training mission to China and that the contents of the Military Attaché’s message had been referred to the Department of Commerce for consideration from the standpoint of civilian aviation interest. This Department thereupon informed the American Minister to China⁶ of the action taken by it and of the attitude of the War Department in reference to this subject. The Department also informed the American Minister of its opinion that it would be inadvisable for this Government to take any steps in connection with the sending to China of an aviation training mission while the then existing Sino-Japanese situation continued.

Under date April 11, 1932, this Department wrote to the Secretary of War⁷ stating that this Department was informed by the American Minister to China that, according to information received from the American Consul General at Nanking and from Mr. Howard, an American Trade Commissioner at Shanghai, the Chinese authorities were attempting to enlist, for the purpose of giving “advice regarding military air training”, the services of United States Army officers at Manila who had accumulated leaves of absence which they could spend in China. This Department informed the War Department that it was of the opinion that, in view of the situation in the Far East, it would be inadvisable for this Government or any of its officers to be associated with plans of the Chinese Government in connection with “military air training”. The War Department replied that instructions had been issued to the Commanding General, Philippine Department, to take such action as might be necessary to prohibit any officers of his command from accepting employment or giving advice or instruction such as mentioned. This Department so informed the American Minister to China.⁸

Under date April 17, 1932, the American Minister to China telegraphed⁹ that a high Chinese official was continuing his conversations with Trade Commissioner Howard in regard to civilian aviation and the Minister inquired whether the Department had any objection. Under date April 19, 1932, this Department replied¹⁰ that it had no objection to the Trade Commissioner discussing “civilian aviation” but that, in relation to plans of the Chinese Government in connection with “military air training”, the Department’s view, which was known to and concurred in by the War Department, was that, in view of the then existing situation, it would be inadvisable for this Government or any of its officers to be associated with military training.

So far as this Department was concerned, the next development in the situation occurred on May 31, 1932, when Mr. John Hamilton Jouett called at the Passport Division of this Department in regard to the issuance of passports to a number of American citizens who, according to Mr. Jouett’s statement, held commissions as aviators in the United States Reserve Corps (either the Army or the Navy) and who planned to sail from San Francisco on or about June 15 for China, where they would work for the Chinese Government in connection with aviation. On June 1, 1932, this situation was discussed with Mr. Leighton W. Rogers, then Chief, Aeronautics Trade Division, Department of Commerce. Mr. Rogers stated that the group of American aviators was going to China to organize an aviation school for the Chinese Government to train Chinese cadets presumably in military aviation. It was pointed out to Mr. Rogers that the record of this Department indicated that this Department had expressed the view that, in view of the situation in the Far East, it would be inadvisable for this Government or any of its officers to be associated in any way with a project involving military as distinguished from civil aviation. Mr. Rogers stated that the Department of Commerce had transmitted messages to and from the Chinese Government and interested Americans; that the interested Americans had signed a contract; that the Chinese Government had advanced money; and that the interested Americans had made the necessary arrangements to leave for China. This information indicated that the matter had proceeded to a point where changes in the arrangements already effected could not readily be made.

As you know, this body of American aviators thereupon proceeded to China and organized and administered a Chinese Government aviation school at Hangchow to teach Chinese military pilots.

The original view of this Department in regard to agencies of the American Government or officers thereof assisting the Chinese Government in its efforts to conduct military aviation schools for the training of Chinese military pilots remains unchanged. We do not favor the rendering of American governmental assistance to such projects.¹¹

Sincerely yours,

Cordell Hull

3. Not printed.
4. See vol. i, pp. 427 ff.
5. Foreign Relations, 1932, vol. iii, p. 582.
6. See telegram No. 121, March 29, 1932, 5 p.m., to the Consul General at Shanghai, ibid., p. 643.
7. Letter not printed.
8. See telegram No. 145, April 19, 1932, 6 p.m., to the Consul General at Shanghai, Foreign Relations, 1932, vol. iii, p. 702.
9. Ibid., p. 696.
10. See telegram No. 145 to the Consul General at Shanghai, ibid., p. 702.
11. This view was reaffirmed in a letter dated February 4, 1935, to the Secretary of Commerce (893.20/518).