Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1939, The Far East, Volume III

793.94/14909: Telegram

The Chargé in China (Peck) to the Secretary of State

Chungking, April 19, 1939—9 a.m.
[Received 1:30 p.m.]

274. 1. McHugh⁴² reports that he learned very confidentially from Chiang’s emissary himself that when the British Ambassador⁴³ passed through Hong Kong on April 8th he was handed a memorandum which informant had just brought down from Chungking and which contained the following proposals from Chiang Kai Shek:

(1) that constructive peace is indivisible between Europe and China, id est, it cannot come to one area until it is achieved in the other;

(2) that if Japan should make a proposal that Great Britain and France should recognize and cooperate with Japan’s position in North China in exchange for a promise from Japan not to join a Rome–Berlin military alliance or attack Hong Kong or Indo-China, Great Britain and France should disregard such a proposal;

(3) that because Great Britain and France would not be able to spare troops or ships to defend their interests in the Far East, China would be willing to supply both troops and labor corps in return for arms and munitions;

(4) Generalissimo hopes therefore that collective security will be extended to the Far East and suggested that conversations be started for a mutual assistance pact between Great Britain and France;

(5) he feels that the advantages of such an arrangement would be

(a) to have a deterring effect on Japan prior to the outbreak of hostilities in respect to acts of aggression against Hong Kong or Indo–China and

(b) that it would also deter Japan even after the outbreak of war from taking immediate action in support of the Totalitarian Powers.

2. McHugh’s informant stated that Clark Kerr offered little comment but expressed the view that such a pact might tend to alarm the Japanese and undo the efforts which the British tried to prevent within the last few months to forestall Japanese signature to a formal military alliance with Germany and Italy in lieu of the existing Anti-Comintern Pact.⁴⁴

3. Although the informant agreed that the foregoing suggested apprehension and distrust on the part of Chiang of the future actions of Great Britain and France, he stated that Chiang had appeared calm and confident and had not clearly indicated the possession of any immediate information to support such suspicion.

[4?]. That despite present widespread rumors to the effect that the British Ambassador to Japan came to Shanghai to convey and discuss with his China colleague the peace terms for transmission by the latter to the Chinese Government, the above person stated that Clark Kerr gave no indication of such a mission. McHugh states that the British Ambassador informed him here last November and again reiterated to him in Shanghai in January that he intended to return to Chungking about this time as a routine step. On the latter occasion Clark Kerr discussed at some length the change of attitude toward Japan which his Tokyo colleague had finally experienced last November plus the British efforts from December onward to stall off Japanese adherence to a military alliance. Any role as a special peace emissary at this time is therefore believed doubtful although he is very probably equipped with ample information on which to base informal discussion of the present Japanese attitude with respect to a peace compromise.

5. Similar rumors as to Madame Chiang Kai Shek’s recent visit to Hong Kong are likewise doubted by McHugh who spent the last 10 days with her and Donald⁴⁵ there and returned with them on the 17th. They did not see Clark Kerr when he passed through Hong Kong nor was the question of peace mentioned at any time.

6. It is requested that the substance of the foregoing be made available to the Navy Department. Peiping please similarly convey to the Naval Attaché and Shanghai to the Commander-in-Chief. Peiping repeat to Tokyo.

Peck

42. Maj. James M. McHugh, U. S. M. C., Assistant Naval Attaché in China.
43. Sir Archibald Clark Kerr.
44. Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, Vol. ii, p. 159.
45. W. H. Donald, Australian adviser to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.