893.48/1273: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:43 p.m.]
820. 1. Following from Shanghai:
October 16, 11 a.m. Reference my October 9, 3 p.m.19 Following additional recommendations have been received from our Advisory Committee and are approved by the Commander-in-Chief and myself:
Grant $9,000 Chinese currency to emergency medical relief work of the Margaret Williamson Hospital at Shanghai. This hospital operating in temporary quarters has been doing urgent maternity work amongst refugees in refugee camps besides medical work amongst poor and homeless women and children.
Grant $15,000 Chinese currency for medical care of the refugees at Soochow, to be administered through the one American member of the International Relief Committee in that city. This Relief Committee has established six groups of refugee camps and finds it necessary to set up improvised hospitals in connection therewith. The mission and other hospitals at Soochow are crowded with soldier wounded. Letter follows by hand tomorrow.
2. Letter from Gauss dated 16th contains following which gives background of his recommendations:
“The immediate need is for the Chinese. The Red Cross has allocated medical supplies to the Chinese Red Cross for military medical work. It seems to me our obligation here is to look after the civilian needs first for the time being. At Soochow, where we are now recommending [Page 633] a grant of $15,000 Chinese, the mission hospitals are full of Chinese soldiers. The civilian refugees are without care. Hence the recommendation made. The Margaret Williamson Hospital grant here is also for civilian relief, emergency medical work. This hospital as you know cares for women and children. They have taken over the maternity work in the refugee camps and are carrying on in addition both in-patient and out-patient work amongst the poor and distressed. The support from their more well-to-do patients is gone. This hospital must be maintained. It is worthy of liberal support.
I do not believe that we should limit Red Cross donations to funds for medical supplies. On the other hand these funds should not be available for salaries of executives, doctors, organization expenses and overhead. Let those be provided otherwise; let the Red Cross contribute to the ‘medical care’ where it is needed, principally in the way of medical supplies but not excluding equipment, food, nursing, et cetera.”
3. Embassy approves recommendations made in Shanghai’s October 16, 11 a.m. quoted above.
Sent to the Department.
- Not printed.↩