761.93/1591
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)77
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my despatch No. 128 of April 17, 1936,78 concerning the rumored conclusion of a Sino-Soviet pact and to many subsequent rumors, mainly inspired by the Japanese, regarding this matter.
Mr. Billingham, New York Times correspondent, has just given this office, in strict confidence, some very interesting information on this subject, obtained from the Soviet Ambassador, who confirmed the fact that conversations are at present being carried on with the Chinese authorities looking toward the conclusion of a new Sino-Soviet agreement.
Mr. Billingham has apparently been closely following all reports and rumors regarding this subject and has on several occasions asked Mr. Spilwanek, the local Soviet Consul General, whether there was any basis for such reports. Finding Mr. Spilwanek noncommittal he decided to sound out the Soviet Ambassador, Mr. Bogomoloff, and took occasion to do so upon the latter’s recent visit to Shanghai. Mr. Billingham found Mr. Bogomoloff equally uncommunicative at first but upon his mentioning that he understood many of the foreign embassies and consulates were reporting on the rumored commencement of Sino-Soviet negotiations he apparently decided to give Mr. Billingham certain information on the understanding that it was not for publication but presumably for repetition to interested American officials. In any event the Soviet Ambassador asked Mr. Billingham to lunch on April seventeenth and talked to him for about two hours with considerable frankness.
The conversation ranged over the entire Chinese political situation, concerning which Mr. Bogomoloff was apparently exceedingly well informed. In brief, he informed Mr. Billingham that he and other Soviet representatives in China had been increasingly impressed during the past few years by the growing solidarity and unity of the [Page 70] Chinese Government and people and the diminution of what he termed the spirit of “isolated provincialism” which had been so marked a characteristic of the earlier years of the Republic. In this connection Mr. Bogomoloff expressed the opinion that the province of Kwangsi is at the present time the only example of “isolated provincialism”. He continued, that in consequence of this definite cohesive trend it was felt by him and his Government that Soviet policy in China should be reoriented and that the Government at Nanking should be supported rather than opposed. He intimated that in pursuance of this change in policy a series of conferences had been convened while he was home on leave recently and that it was the consensus of opinion among the Soviet officials who participated that cognizance must be taken of the growing trend toward unity in China and that the Soviet Government would do well to support the Nanking Government as the stabilizing and paramount force in this country. Mr. Billingham remarked it was obvious from the Soviet Ambassador’s statements that relations between Soviet Russia and Japan and the maintenance of peace in the Far East had also received much careful consideration, for Mr. Bogomoloff intimated it was felt that a strongly united China friendly to the Soviet Union would tend to preserve the balance of power in the Far East and maintain peace in this area.
In discussing this change in Soviet policy Mr. Bogomoloff made the interesting statement that “even before the Sian coup we had changed our policy.” From this it is perhaps not illogical to infer that the Soviet Government’s change of policy and the reported change in policy of the Chinese Communist Party, whose leaders announced months ago that the Communists were no longer opposing the Nanking Government, were more than coincidental. In fact it is very probable that the changes were carefully planned and timed in Moscow.
Mr. Billingham inquired whether this change in policy had resulted in the commencement of negotiations between the two Governments. Mr. Bogomoloff answered in the affirmative and stated that talks were proceeding, but Mr. Billingham gathered not with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at least for the present. It is possible that these conversations are being carried on either directly with General Chiang or through the medium of the Communist leader, Chow En-lai, who is reported to have been in Fenghua recently. Mr. Billingham endeavored to elicit definite information concerning the nature and scope of these negotiations but was not able to extract more than a smiling affirmative nod to his query as to whether the talks are of a politico-economic military nature. However, in discussing Soviet influence in Sinkiang and Outer Mongolia Mr. Billingham said he gained the distinct impression that the relaxing of Soviet control over those areas was one of the subjects being discussed.
Respectfully yours,