Office of the Historian

845.00/2206

Memoramdum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
[Washington,] July 28, 1942.

The Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs called to see me this afternoon at his request. The Minister left with me an urgent message addressed by Chiang Kai-shek to the President, of which a copy is attached herewith.13

[Page 699]

Dr. Soong asked me to read the message since he said he wished to make some oral comments with regard thereto after I had familiarized myself with the contents of the message.

Dr. Soong then stressed the following points:

1.
Chiang Kai-shek believes the situation in India is unquestionably going to blow up after the meeting of the Indian Congress unless some outside help is given;
2.
He believes that the Indians anticipate a further extension of their movement by the Japanese towards India as soon as the monsoon is over, which would be in the relatively near future;
3.
He believes the British are completely blind to the two facts set forth above;
4.
He feels that the Indian Congress actually represents the desire of the Indian people and can be compared in its importance and representative capacity to the Chinese National Revolutionary Committee of some years ago;
5.
He is convinced that the question of India is regarded by all of the people of Asia as a test case in ascertaining the sincerity of the United Nations;
6.
He believes that the Indian National Congress will accept much less than they are asking, but solely provided that the Chinese Government and the United States Government participate in negotiations between the representatives of the Indian National Congress and the British Government as friends of both sides and provided that both China and the United States underwrite the carrying out of the terms of any agreement reached;
7.
Chiang Kai-shek believes that this question is of the utmost urgency and that the outcome of this question may in very great part determine the outcome of the war in the Far East.

I told the Minister that I would immediately submit this message to the President and that it might be that the President would be able to give him at least his preliminary reactions after the meeting of the Pacific War Council tomorrow, Wednesday.

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