893.20/750: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 26—8:22 p.m.]
266. The Embassy has received a third person note dated March 20 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which refers to previous approaches regarding the organization of volunteer corps of overseas Chinese (see my telegram of December 20, 11 p.m. [1 p.m.]1 to Manila and Department’s 329, December 27, 5 p.m.2) and goes on to state in translation as follows:
“Hostilities on the Pacific are daily spreading and have reached the homes of numerous Chinese citizens who, owning property and attacked [attached?] by long residence, would have been willing to make sacrifices and join in the fight against the common enemy. Unfortunately they were not practically utilized and an opportunity was lost. However, there are at present several tens of thousands of Chinese in Hawaii of whom many must be of military age. The Chinese Government feels that no further opportunity should be lost and that a Chinese volunteer corps should speedily be organized to fight in conjunction with the Allied forces. The Ministry therefore requests the Embassy to despatch a telegram without delay to the American Government asking its prompt agreement and reply.”
The Embassy in acknowledging the receipt of the note is stating that the matter has been referred to the Department.
- Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. iv, p. 759.↩
- Not printed, but see ibid. , footnote 77.↩