893.20/792

The Chargé in China (Atcheson) to the Secretary of State

No. 1583

Sir: I have the honor to enclose a memorandum of conversation, dated August 31, 1943,42 with the Reverend Charles L. Meeus, China correspondent of a Catholic publication in the United States and an employee of the Chinese Ministry of Information, and the Reverend [Page 120] Leo J. Ferrary, an American Catholic in charge of the Office of the Apostolic Delegate to China, in regard to the anti-Chinese feeling existing among American armed forces in China.

Summary. General Chiang Kai-shek is said to be concerned over the anti-Chinese feeling existing among American armed forces in China, reports of which were received by Madame Chiang from American sources during her recent visit to the United States. The only solution to this problem contemplated by the Chinese authorities is the assignment of interpreters to American troops and various forms of entertainment. Most observers are of the opinion that this feeling is unavoidable in view of the restriction of the soldiers’ contacts to lower class Chinese and that little can be done to change this feeling. A program of lectures by and discussions with Chinese university professors is now being planned under the Army’s auspices. End of summary.

Father Meeus, who states that he is employed by the Ministry of Information for propaganda work in the United States (through the Catholic publication which he represents and through tours of the United States made by him at the instance of the Ministry), asserts that General Chiang Kai-shek is concerned over the anti-Chinese feeling among American armed forces in China, evidence of which was given to Madame Chiang during her recent visit to the United States in numerous letters to her quoting statements from letters received by persons in the United States from American soldiers in China. Writers of these letters to Madame Chiang, some of which were unsigned, are said to have criticized statements made by her in speeches, charging that her picture of a unified, democratic and patriotic China was at variance with that given by American soldiers in China. The soldiers’ personal distaste for China and the Chinese was also reflected in the letters. General Chiang has instructed Dr. Hollington Tong, Vice Minister of Information, to take steps to correct this situation, but Dr. Tong reportedly has recommended only the assignment of about 400 interpreters to the American armed forces and the provision of entertainment by jugglers, musicians and actors.

The Embassy feels that this situation gives added reason for the setting up of a program of some kind for the purpose of combatting this widespread anti-Chinese feeling among the American troops. While there is no certainty that the program envisaged by Dr. J. K. Fairbank,43 in conjunction with the American Army authorities in China (Department’s telegram No. 950, July 24, 2 p.m. and Embassy’s telegram No. 1425, August 11, 10 a.m.44), will be effective in changing this feeling, the program deserves serious consideration in that as the war goes on there will probably be increased numbers of American [Page 121] soldiers in this country. The feeling among the troops now stationed here will inevitably have its effect on all those who may arrive in the future.

The American Army authorities are not unaware of this feeling, but they apparently consider that it will be extremely difficult to eradicate such feeling among American soldiers whose contact with and knowledge of the Chinese scene is confined chiefly to servants, coolies and shopkeepers. One American officer, who has had some experience with similar conditions in India, states that the most effective means of changing this feeling will come from actual combined military operations of the troops of the two countries against the Japanese. A well known Chinese educator states that this feeling is inevitable and that, while it is undesirable to have American soldiers now in China return to the United States with an unfavorable picture of this country, there seems to be no real solution to the problem for the vast majority of the troops.

Respectfully yours,

George Atcheson, Jr.
  1. Not printed.
  2. Representative at Chungking of the Interdepartmental Committee for the Acquisition of Foreign Publications.
  3. Neither printed.