740.0011 European War 1939/14154: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 20—10 a.m.]
358. Chinese reaction to Roosevelt–Churchill statement. The press services on August 17 carried statement by the Foreign Minister [Page 384] in which he welcomed the joint declaration, states its agreement with the principles of the Kuomintang, pledged China’s assistance in the post-war reconstruction and concluded that China believed that the destruction of the forces of aggression can be most swiftly achieved by first bringing about the defeat of Japan.
On August 18 T. F. Tsiang, Secretary General of the Executive Yuan, as the spokesman of the Chinese Government at a press conference for foreign correspondents said inter alia that although Japan is not named and Nazi tyranny is mentioned only in point 6, it is unmistakable that the statement is applicable to the whole world, that all conflicts now raging are parts of one war and there must therefore be one program for world reconstruction, that special importance is to be given to points regarding new territorial changes, rights of peoples to choose own form of government and free enjoyment of trade and access to raw materials, that realization of the program calls for sacrifices by the democracies and that China is prepared to make her full contribution.
Statement and its implications has been widely discussed in editorials of all leading papers since August 16. All have praised the principles enunciated. At the same time all have remarked the absence of direct mention of Japan but have agreed that since statement is unlimited in scope Japan is to be considered as included. Most call for close cooperation between China, Russia, Britain and United States with direct military action against Japan as the most pressing need. Views of representative papers are as follows:
[Here follows report on press views.]