793.94119/558: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9 a.m.]
450. Peiping’s 350, July 15, 1 [9] p.m. Hollington Tong69 came to see me yesterday and said that in order to dispel any misunderstandings that might arise over the prospective visit of Stuart he had been instructed to inform me that Stuart was not coming to Chungking to discuss peace. He said that Stuart had written saying that there were methods whereby Wang Ching Wei might well be prevented from becoming a puppet of Japanese and Dr. Kung, as was known to me, had invited Stuart to come to inform Chungking of these methods. He said that for some time Wang Keh Min had been anxious to leave Peiping and that Chungking was trying to help him. I inferred that Wang Keh Min was known or believed in Chungking to be cognizant of the purpose of Stuart’s visit.
Tong said that on a visit which Stuart had made last year he had brought peace suggestions in which Wang Keh Min was then interested but that Chiang had said to Stuart in his presence that there were only two possible outcomes of the Sino-Japanese difficulties, success or failure for China and that he, Chiang, placed anything short of success in the category of failure. I inferred that he meant that Chiang did not intend to make peace by compromise. Tong stated that it was the intention of the Chinese Government to inform the United States Government should peace be discussed.
Repeated to Peiping.
- Chinese Vice Minister for Information.↩