793.94/15511: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Lockhart) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10 p.m.]
1036. Department’s 349, November 13, 8 p.m. to Tokyo.16 In exclusive interview granted November 20 to official German news agency and printed today Wang Ching-wei declared date of establishment new government could not be fixed because of elaboration acceptable peace conditions with Japanese Government requires considerable time, and agreement on peace conditions must antecede establishment new government. Wang said that if National Government continued to [Page 324] refuse to conclude peace with Japan evacuation Japanese troops from China could be effected only regionally, “as arranged last August with Japanese Supreme Command in South China”. The new government at Nanking will claim title as the only national Chinese Government. Wang admitted great difficulties attend implementation his plans but hoped difficulties would be overcome in cooperation with Japan and an independent China be established.
Wang’s Shanghai organ Chung Hua Jih Pao yesterday carried editorial asserting National Government reduced to status of local regime because of reliance on Russia, Britain and United States, and that new government in its relations with Japan must therefore be independent and self-governing. “The Central Government cannot be reorganized by Japan, and Chiang’s government cannot be overthrown by Japan. The discarding of the Chiang regime and restoration of a Kuomintang Central Government are matters concerning the Chinese people and can only be dealt with by the determination and efforts of the Chinese people, at their own initiative. What we hope from Japan is that Japan will respect that determination and those efforts, and will assist the Chinese people in what they want to do, but will not order the Chinese people to act in any particular manner. Only a central government evolved through dependence upon the determination and efforts of the Chinese people, employing the determination and efforts of the Chinese people for its support, could bring about a general peace, whereupon the problem of the Chungking Government might also have a natural solution.” Editorial observes that Anglo-French relationship is under British leadership and states: “Whether or not Japan can establish and maintain its position of leadership in eastern Asia depends upon whether or not it can handle matters of Sino-Japanese cooperation in the spirit of the Anglo-French cooperation”. Editorial emphasizes that the granting to Japan of right to station troops “in the vicinity of Inner Mongolia and in North China” is only for the period of Japan’s Anti-Comintern Pact and is not prejudicial to China’s sovereignty; and “the completeness and autonomy of China’s economy in the vicinity of Inner Mongolia and in North China in the same way does not permit of the slightest infraction”. Apart from those two areas, the editorial concludes, there is only one question of withdrawal of Japanese troops and no question of the stationing of troops.
The above quoted Wang Ching-wei organ has lately been increasingly independent in tone, for which two theories are advanced: (1) judging the development of the international situation to be unfavorable to Japan, Wang has adopted a stronger and more independent attitude vis-à-vis the Japanese; or (2) Wang is acting in accordance with Japanese policy, the Japanese desiring that it appear that Wang is functioning on his own responsibility.
[Page 325]It is contended in some quarters that Wang possesses a promise from Konoye that Sino-Japanese relations shall be based upon Konoye’s offer of December, 1938, and that Wang is holding out for such conditions which if implemented would appear to leave China with its sovereignty only slightly impaired. It is doubtful whether Wang desires to go down in Chinese history as a “puppet”, and publicity from his camp would indicate further that he believes Japan to be facing a strong combination in Russian, British and American policies and chooses therefore to fight along patriotic lines for an independent China.
It is conceivable that there is a relationship between Japanese pronouncements and Wang’s publicity but it is possible that it is realized in some Japanese quarters, at least, that the establishment of another controlled government could scarcely be expected to contribute substantially to the establishment of a new order in East Asia. If the latter hypothesis is true it would follow that Japan might feel the necessity of making additional concessions to the Wang regime, at least on the surface, for the furthering of Japanese policies in Asia.
Despatch follows.
Repeated to Peiping, Chungking. Code text by air mail to Tokyo.