Office of the Historian

793.94/10193: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

Nanking, September 21, 1937—2 p.m.
[Received September 22—6 a.m.]

696. Embassy’s 615, September 6, 5 p.m.

1.
The Embassy has been informed by a Departmental head of the new but not yet completed organization that the National and Departmental scheme has been abandoned and the new organization is being made a rightful part of the [Military?] Affairs Committee leaving regular party and governmental organs intact. The exact relation between the reorganized Military Affairs Committee and the rest of the Government do not appear to have been better; since the Committee’s activities are war time activities there will be no interference with some of the usual functions of the Government but since war time activities are paramount it appears that the Government in its executive branches, namely, the Executive Yuan which comprises most of the ministries, will be subservient to the Committee. Chiang Kai-shek is as formerly head of the Committee; Chang Chun has been named Secretary General; and departments corresponding in part to those which were being set up for the National Defense Government are beginning to function as follows: (1) Military Affairs, Huang Shao Hsiung; (2) General Affairs, Hsiung Shih Huang; (3) Heavy Industries, Wong Wen Hao; (4) War Economics, Wu Ting Chang; (5) Transportation and Communications, Yu Fei Peng; (6) People’s Training, Chen Li Fu; (7) Publicity, Chen Kung Po. Foreign Affairs and Finance which were included in both the first “Supreme War Council[”] and the National Defense Government schemes are omitted, being left to the Foreign Office and the Finance Ministry. Other departments will possibly be added as the organization launches more fully upon its functions. According to the informant no Communist leaders have been given posts in this or any other department of the National Government.
2.
Sent to the Department, repeated to Peiping, Shanghai. Shanghai mail to Tokyo.
Johnson