893.408/2
The Chargé in China (Vincent) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 24.]
Sir: Referring to my despatch No. 1001 of March 17, 1943, concerning the San Min Chu I Youth Corps, I have the honor to report that this organization has just completed its first National Conference at Chungking. Delegates to the Conference represented various provinces of Free China and the occupied areas, the United States, Malaya, Burma, Formosa and Indochina. Of the approximately 350 delegates to the Conference less than 30 per cent were estimated by an observer to be students. At a joint meeting of the Central Executive and Central Supervisory Boards (the latter composed of the heads of universities and middle schools) held after the close of the Conference, Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, who is Director-General of the Corps, announced that the members of the Central Executive Committee and the Central Supervisory Committee of the Kuomintang [Page 227] and the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Control and Examination Yuans would [be] ex-officio Directors of the Corps. The resolutions passed by the Conference were, as summarized by the press, principles for the unified training of the youth, principles for a ten-year plan for the development of the Corps, mobilization of the youth for building a new China, establishment of an organ to administer youth work and promotion of youth welfare.
The Generalissimo in speeches before the Conference outlined the tasks of Chinese youth as extension of rural education and cultural work throughout the entire country, the cultivation of students’ interests in industry and labor, the promotion of scientific and technical movements and the carrying out of the tenets of the New Life Movement. He stated that the Corps must restore and develop the inherent virtues of the nation and reform the old society in order to realize the San Min Chu I and build a modern nation in China. He further laid down five basic principles as a guide for their activities: Youth must respect their elders and superiors; youth must perform manual labor; youth must respect farmers and laborers; youth must uphold equality of sex; and youth must obey government orders. He called upon the members of the Youth Corps to lead the youth of China in adopting these principles: that labor is the first essential of life; that science is the first essential of knowledge; that national reconstruction is work of the first importance; that industry should take precedence over all fields of endeavor; that principle is the foundation of faith; and the national defense is the first essential of nation-building. The Generalissimo stressed that the organization and training of the Corps must be coordinated with the educational system and planning and added that the policy of education in the future must be based on the principles outlined in his book, China’s Destiny, that is, to lay emphasis on psychological, ethical, social and economic reconstruction. He added that the training of personnel for carrying out the ten-year plan of economic reconstruction, as described in China’s Destiny, is urgently needed and that, therefore, the present educational system must emphasize vocational and technical training in middle schools, in which the Youth Corps will play an important part.
The Generalissimo’s emphasis upon organization, training and discipline of Chinese youth was repeated by General Pai Chung-hsi, Deputy Chief of Staff, who in an address to the Corps called upon the educated youth of the country to enter into active military service in order to improve the quality of the Chinese army, develop a strong national defense and consummate the objectives of the revolution under the standard of the San Min Chu I.
The Generalissimo pointed to the youth of China as the hope of the country upon whom its destiny depends and asserted that any [Page 228] youth who wished to take part in the reconstruction of a modern China should join the Youth Corps. He repeated the statement made in his book that “the San Min Chu I is the soul of the nation, the Kuomintang is the main artery of the nation and the San Min Chu I Youth Corps is the new blood in this main artery” and added that those who have not joined the Corps have not yet fulfilled their duty.
[Here follows report of other details concerning the Youth Corps.]
Units of the organization are reported as being very active in Japanese-occupied areas. The Kuomintang may be expected to expand the San Min Chu I Youth Corps among overseas Chinese just as it endeavors to increase its own influence among Chinese abroad. The Embassy has recently issued a visa for entry into the United States to a Mr. Chiang I-chen, adviser to the San Min Chu I Youth Corps, who is proceeding to the United States on behalf of the Chinese Government for the study of youth movements in wartime. It is possible that Mr. Chiang will interest himself more in the San Min Chu I Youth Corps units which are known to exist in the United States than in the study of American youth movements which bear little similarity to the Chinese organization.
Respectfully yours,