701.94/1134: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:20 p.m.]
1972. Information reaching the French Government from a number of different sources indicate that the Japanese Government has reached some sort of an agreement with the Soviet Government which has relieved the Japanese Government of all fear of attack by the Soviet Union.
I should be greatly obliged if you would telegraph me any information that you may have on this subject.
The Chinese Ambassador called on me today and stated that his Government feared that in spite of the assurances which had been given to Sun Fo30 recently in Moscow to the effect that the Soviet Union would continue to support and supply the Chinese Government the Soviet Union might be engaged in reaching some sort of an agreement with Japan.
He stated that he saw many signs that Great Britain and France were about to diminish seriously their support of the Chinese Government. He added that if the Soviet Government should reach agreement with the Japanese Government he feared the British and French Governments might be obliged to promise to close the Indo-China and Burma routes.
He stated that he believed that the Japanese Government would recognize de facto a so-called Chinese Government under Wang Ching Wei and would henceforth attempt to make the war in China appear to be a civil war between two rival factions of Chinese. The Wang Ching Wei Government would be used by Japan to drive the French, British, and Americans out of China.
[Page 249]The Chinese Ambassador expressed the opinion that if a Wang Ching Wei Government should be set up and if France and England should withdraw their present support of the Chinese Government Chiang Kai Shek might lose the support of the Chinese people which he has today and resistance to Japan might collapse.
Information as to the exact status of relations between Japan and the Soviet Union is obviously of vital importance.
- President of the Chinese Legislative Yuan.↩