740.0011 Pacific War/3509
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 28.]
Sir: I have the honor to enclose a memorandum of a conversation with the Polish Ambassador of October 6, 1943,58 in which the latter and his Military Attaché outlined their interpretation of Soviet Russia’s international policies and plans of the past few years and set forth by indirection and implication some argumentation against the setting up by the Allies of a new second front in Europe.
We here in this isolated place are scarcely in a position to suggest whether the Polish Ambassador’s and the Polish Military Attaché’s remarks have significance per se. They are of interest to us chiefly because of their propaganda nature and, as the Polish Ambassador usually seizes every possible opportunity to spread propaganda in behalf of Poland and against Soviet Russia, it occurs to us that his activities in this connection may be undertaken by direction and that possibly Polish representatives in other places are engaged in similar activities which are anything but in the general interests of the cause of the United Nations.
The Embassy has previously reported how deeply fear and mistrust of Soviet Russia is ingrained in the Chinese official mind and there is no reason to believe that the Polish Ambassador and his Military Attaché are any more restrained in expressing their views to Chinese officials than they were in the conversation under reference. Further poisoning of the Chinese against Soviet Russia (irrespective [Page 350] of what foundation may exist for some of the views expressed) is definitely detrimental to our general cause in this theatre. There is plentiful evidence already of the detriment to China’s war effort (which at best has been and continues to be negative) consequent upon China’s suspicion and resentment against Great Britain and Soviet Russia. We accordingly raise, for consideration, the question whether it might not be advisable for the British Government to endeavor to impress upon the Polish Government the desirability that Polish representatives refrain from activities which tend to vitiate, rather than give affirmative inspiration to, such inclination as the Chinese Government may have toward effectively contributing further within its capacities to the war against Japan. As the Department is aware, the long-standing difficulties between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communists (which in the Chinese mind have more and more become integrated with Chinese apprehension in regard to possible Soviet Russian designs upon Manchuria and north China) continue to immobilize some of the best divisions of the Central Government’s armies and are an important contributing factor in the virtual stalemate between the main Japanese and Chinese forces which has existed in this country for over three years.
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩