793.94/12764: Telegram
The Chargé in France (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 5—10 a.m.]
532. The Chinese Ambassador10 told me yesterday that he was greatly encouraged by Chinese successes in recent military operations, particularly in southern Shantung. He said that the intense fighting which began in this area on March 24 and has been going on continuously since then constitutes one of the major engagements of the war. He said that there are nearly 200,000 Japanese troops in this region including 50,000 who have been brought secretly from Manchuria since the first of the year; opposing them are over 300,000 Chinese.
I said that I had noticed an article in the London Times from its Shanghai correspondent reporting the appearance north of Suchow of new Chinese tanks, artillery and anti-tank guns. Wellington Koo said that this was true and that all this material had come from Russia. [Page 136] He said that the Russians had been “very generous” in furnishing war material, particularly since January 1st. The Chinese have been acquiring very little war material from England; some artillery and rifles but no airplanes. From France they have been receiving but little war material since the French had little to spare, but since the coming into office of the present Blum government on March 13 several military planes of the latest type have been shipped to China.
I asked what routes these shipments have followed. Wellington Koo said that part of the material from Russia came in via Hong Kong, part through Indo-China and many shipments of light material take the Alma Ata route. About two-thirds of the new tanks and artillery which have appeared recently north of Suchow came in via Hong Kong and about one-third via Indo-China. French planes were shipped via French Indo-China. The French Government had not raised difficulties about shipment of planes via Indo-China although they had limited the passage of other war material on the Yunnanfu Railway. At one time facilities had been provided in Bordeaux for assembling planes destined for China. When the last Chautemps government came in power the middle of January, however, these facilities had been withdrawn, and increased difficulties had been placed in the way of shipment of war material through Indo-China.
The Ambassador said that he had always had trouble with the Foreign Office here in obtaining permission for shipments to pass through Indo-China but since the formation of the second Blum government with Paul Boncour at the Foreign Office his task had been made much easier. He said that the French Government was still apprehensive about permitting shipments to go over the railway but that he had recently been given permission to have important shipments of war material which had been held up in Indo-China transshipped and transported through territorial waters of Indo-China to Southern China.
I said that I had been interested to meet Sun Fo not long ago in Paris and asked the Ambassador if he could tell me anything of Sun Fo’s mission to Russia. The Ambassador said that Sun Fo had been most successful in arranging for the supply of Russian airplanes and war material. Sun Fo had not been so pleased however with the outcome of his talks concerning “political arrangements”. The Soviet Government had indicated that they could not be expected to enter the conflict in the Far East unless they were assured that in case they did so and Germany should then attack Russia they would receive military support from other countries in Europe.
[Page 137]With regard to rumors concerning Outer Mongolia the Ambassador said that it was not true that the Soviet authorities had asked Sun Fo for certain concessions in return for recognition of full Chinese sovereignty over Outer Mongolia. He said that both sides continued to maintain their respective positions regarding the status of Outer Mongolia and that this situation caused no difficulties for either China or Russia.
- V. K. Wellington Koo.↩