740.0011 Pacific War/1955

The Assistant Secretary of War (McCloy) to the Assistant Secretary of State (Acheson)

Yesterday I had a conference with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Dr. Soong. As matters involving some political consequences were broached as well as military ones, I have the feeling that I should give you a memorandum of the interview. I understand that there is a staff conference this afternoon which is considering the military intervention of China into Indo-China and as a result of that conference [Page 751] I think we will be prepared to notify Dr. Soong what, if any, attitude from a military point of view we would have toward such a step.

John J. McCloy
[Annex]

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of War (McCloy)

Dr. T. V. Soong called and delivered me a communication which he had received from Dr. Chen, the China Defense Supply representative in Rangoon. The substance of this communication related to the clearing up of the Lend-Lease supply situation in Rangoon, and a suggestion that Colonel Twitty of the American forces there, who has since been relieved, was particularly bitter against the Chinese and was threatening the dissemination of information hostile to the Chinese. I passed this communication on to General Marshall.4

Dr. Soong also referred to a conversation which he had had with the French Ambassador, Henry-Haye. The French Ambassador indicated that he had heard a rumor to the effect that the Chinese might enter Indo China as a result of the permission granted by the French to the Japanese troops to do so. Henry-Haye stated that Dr. Soong must realize how deplorable any such entry would be from the point of view of French-Chinese relations; that the permission given to the Japanese had been given only as a matter of necessity and that China must not misunderstand it; that it did not offer any satisfactory excuse for the entry of their troops. Dr. Soong reported to me that he had stated in effect that this was an entirely unilateral affair, that the Japanese had been using Indo-Chinese bases for attacks on Chinese territory, and that France could not consider that she was really neutral in this respect; that if even as a matter of necessity the French felt obliged to give access to the Japanese troops, they could not object if as a matter of necessity China felt compelled to protect herself from the action which had been thus induced. Dr. Soong asked specifically whether from a military point of view there was any objection on our part to such a movement by Chinese troops and to what extent it fitted into the unified plan of the Far East. I told Dr. Soong that I would talk to General Marshall about this and let him know. I also advised him that in my judgment he should also communicate with the State Department and advise them of his conversations with Henry-Haye, and that as the question that he posed had political implications as well as military, he should also take up that matter with the State Department.

[Page 752]

Dr. Soong also told me that he had heard from the Chinese representative in Stockholm (I am not sure whether this was the Military Attaché or the Ambassador or some other representative, but I got the impression that it was a rather authoritative source) to the effect that the Germans had been demanding passage for troops through Sweden to Finland. The Swedes had refused thus far and Hitler5 was beginning to use some rather ugly terms. As a result, some Swedish troops were being moved into prepared positions and it looked as if the refusal might continue. According to the reports, the Swedes were well supplied with anti-aircraft, artillery, and small arms, and the only thing that they needed was aircraft; and if aircraft were furnished, they were quite sure that Sweden would continue its refusal and would very likely fight the Germans in a very determined fashion if they attempted to force passage.

I notified General Marshall of all the information that Dr. Soong had given me and also carried to him the renewed request of Dr. Soong for the appointment of a senior Army officer to go to Chungking.

J[ohn] J. McC[loy]
  1. George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff, U. S. Army.
  2. Adolf Hitler, German Chief of State, Führer, and Chancellor.