893.24/825
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Controls (Green)
The Chinese Ambassador, at the suggestion of Mr. Hornbeck, telephoned me this morning in regard to his note of June 7, 1940, concerning the possibility of a purchase by the Chinese Government of surplus 75 mm. field guns.
I told the Ambassador that all of the 75 mm. field guns which had been declared surplus had now been disposed of; that the only surplus artillery still for sale consisted of five mountain guns, caliber 2.95 mm., 234 eight-inch howitzers, and eight twelve-inch mortars; and that I doubted very much whether his Government would be interested in acquiring any of this artillery, except the mountain guns. The Ambassador agreed with me that his Government would have no use for the howitzers or mortars. He said that he would ascertain whether his Government might wish to acquire the mountain guns and that if so, he would call on me early next week.