740.0011 Pacific War/1667: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State

45. The Chinese press and Chinese officials with whom the Embassy is in contact have reacted with greater restraint and reason than was expected to the statements of Alexander12 and Knox13 that primary emphasis should be placed on the European end of the Axis. They give due recognition to the argument that Hitler14 must be defeated and to the importance of maintaining the present offensive in Europe, but they emphasize the vital defensive necessity of holding Singapore and the Dutch East Indies at all cost, pointing out that the Japanese in possession of those areas would be in a strong position to make the War in the Pacific protracted and costly, to attack Russia in eastern Siberia, and to be of considerable indirect if not direct aid to Hitler or embarrassment to the Allies in the European operations.

Now that the Chinese have overcome the severe shock of our initial reverses, of which the fall of Hong Kong was psychologically the most serious, I feel that morale has steadied. The fall of Manila and the present threat to Singapore have prompted considerable press comment [Page 5] and counsel of a military and strategic character, but I do not detect any defeatist attitude.

The degree of resistance, or enthusiasm for resistance, may vary, but in the light of the present situation I do not anticipate any change in the basic character of the Chinese attitude. Chiang, irrevocably committed to resistance, should be able to maintain his leadership. The Chinese are, of course, disappointed over the prospect of a long war in the Pacific, but they believe in an American victory over Japan.

Mounting economic difficulties may cause a deterioration of National Government authority. The grant of a political loan or credit and its prompt use in such manner as may be practical may aid in arresting such a development. With both the military and the economic situation in mind, I am positive that greater and more concentrated efforts should be made to move Lend-Lease materials over the Burma Road. It is feasible to move such materials, but this would appear to require constant and persistent efforts to cause the Chinese to act.

Gauss
  1. Gen. Sir Harold R. L. Alexander, British commanding officer in Burma, 1942, then Commander in Chief, Middle East.
  2. Frank Knox, Secretary of the Navy.
  3. German Chief of State, Führer, and Chancellor.