124.936/369
The Under Secretary of State (Welles) to President Roosevelt
My Dear Mr. President: I am sending you for your consideration a telegram which I have received today from Gauss, our new Ambassador in Chungking.33
[Page 685]The messages to which he refers in his telegram are messages addressed by Mr. Currie to Owen Lattimore and to Madame Chiang Kai-shek.
I personally feel that Ambassador Gauss is justified in his complaint and, owing to the trying conditions which exist in Chungking and the great difficulties inherent in his mission at this time, I do not feel it wise to keep our Ambassador uninformed of important messages of the kind to which he refers.
Will you let me know what your decision may be? If you agree with my own recommendation I will be glad to talk personally with Lauchlin Currie and explain the situation to him so that he may understand why the Department is asking that messages which he sends to officials in Chungking pass through the hands of our own Ambassador.34
Believe me [etc.]