893.154/367: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Gauss)
205. Reference your 363, August 24, noon.
For the Ambassador from Currie.85
Fearing that Wilson will be subject to the same treatment as Baker, I am reluctant to recommend his release. The failure to bring about a genuine reorganization of the Burma Highway with unified control, sufficient financial backing and police authority has been a decided disappointment to me. My task here has been made very difficult by this failure. I shall, however, be happy to arrange for Wilson to be placed [Page 717] at the disposal of Yu Fei Peng to advise him with regard to all matters pertaining to truck maintenance and operation. For the time being he should, in my opinion, retain his military status, feeling free to report directly to the Military Attaché and later on to General Magruder. The Chinese would, through this arrangement, be enabled to make full use of Wilson’s technical knowledge and we would be in a position to conform shipments to the capacity of the Burma Road. Please inform the Generalissimo of my views as expressed above and ascertain whether the foregoing arrangement would be satisfactory to him. [Currie.]
- Notation by the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck): “Based on a draft by Mr. Currie. Shown to and approved by Mr. Carrie.”↩