893.00/15208
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 16.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s despatch No. 1829 of November 18, 1943, in regard to the activities of Marshal Li Ch’i-shen, Chairman of the Kweilin Office of the National Military Council, in endeavoring to arrange an understanding between various Chinese military commanders in southeast and southwest China.
There is now enclosed a copy of despatch No. 145 of November 18, 1943.1 prepared by Mr. Arthur R. Ringwalt, Consul at Kweilin temporarily detailed to Kunming, regarding criticism of the Central Government by Marshal Li during a mass meeting in celebration of the Soviet National Holiday at Kweilin.
Summary. In the memorandum Mr. Ringwalt states that the mass meeting at Kweilin on the occasion of the Soviet National Holiday, attended by over 1,500 people, was quite spontaneous and without official support. Marshal Li addressing the meeting informally compared the progress made during the Soviet revolution and that during the Chinese revolution and ascribed China’s relative backwardness to corruption, incompetence and defeatism and, by implication, to its lack of leaders of ability, character and determination. It is pointed out in the despatch that the mass meeting is an indication of the extent of popular Chinese admiration of the Soviet Government and that the criticism offered by Marshal Li represents outspoken criticism of the administration by the ranking Central Government official in south China. This criticism was repeated to Mr. Ringwalt by Marshal Li. End of Summary.
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Respectfully yours,
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