740.0011 Pacific War/1965
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The Minister of the Netherlands44 asked to see me urgently this evening in order that he might read to me a telegram he had received [Page 17] under date of February 11 from the Governor General of the Netherlands East Indies.
The Minister emphasized that this message undoubtedly had been sent by the Governor General after the latter had conferred with General Wavell.
The substance of the message was as follows:
The attitude of China was altogether unsatisfactory. In December the Chinese Government had offered the Allied Governments two army corps and one army corps had been accepted by the Allied Governments. Since that time only part of one army corps had been placed by China at the disposal of the Inter-Allied Command.
Notwithstanding, the Chinese Government was still complaining that its offer of help had been refused by the Allies.
Owing to the lack of any action by the Chinese Government against the Japanese in China, Japan had been enabled to take out of China five divisions of Chinese [Japanese?] troops.
The Governor General of the Netherlands East Indies understands that China has no idea of undertaking any large offensive before the Allied Governments undertake a major offensive.
In his judgment China has more than sufficient means to undertake an offensive but wishes to wait until the end of the war “probably for political reasons”.
I told the Minister that I would communicate this information to the President for such disposition of it as he might determine.45
- A. Loudon.↩
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Mr. Welles forwarded this memorandum to President Roosevelt in a letter dated February 12, 1942, in which he stated:
“In accordance with our telephone conversation of this evening, I am sending you herewith a memorandum of my conversation with the Dutch Minister of today’s date. You said that you wished to bring this matter up for discussion at your meeting on Saturday morning.
In accordance with your request, I have sent copies of this memorandum to General Marshall and to Admiral Stark.”
George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U. S. Army; Harold R. Stark, Chief of Naval Operations.
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