811.42793/1517b: Airgram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Gauss)
A–120. The Department has been informed by some of the Chinese professors visiting the United States in acceptance of the invitation set forth in the Department’s telegram of October 13, 9 p.m. 194238 that their respective universities are in need of recruiting specially trained men for their teaching staffs. As an additional measure of assistance to the six institutions in question the Embassy may inform them that, if they desire to add to each of their respective staffs one graduate student now in this country, the Department will be glad to defray his travel expenses from the United States to the place in which the University that has engaged his services is situated. The Department desires that the visiting professors shall be fully authorized to select the graduate students and to enter into employment contracts with them. For the purposes of this offer National Southwest Associated University will be entitled to one man for each of the component institutions thus raising the possible total of graduate students appointed from six to eight. The visiting professors indicate that if their institutions wish to empower them to make selections and conclude contracts the following information will be essential: nature of the instruction to be given by the appointee; type of position and amount of salary and allowances offered; length of the contract; and qualifications required of the candidate. The visiting professors feel that this invitation should be brought to the attention of the Ministry of Education even if it is not transmitted through the Ministry. The Embassy is asked to exercise its judgment as to the manner of transmitting this offer but should make it clear that transportation will be by sea, except for the last stage, that the Department assumes no responsibility in connection with risks incurred, and that [Page 759] delays must be expected in obtaining priorities for travel. For the Embassy’s information and use, if necessary, it is the intention of the Department to grant each appointee $7 per diem during his journey.
Replies from the Universities should be in English but supplementary instructions to the visiting professors may be in Chinese. The Embassy is authorized to transmit both replies and instructions to the Department by pouch for forwarding to the addressees.
If the Embassy has suggestions to offer in regard to this proposal, they should be made by telegraph.
- Telegram No. 953; Foreign Relations, 1942, China, p. 724.↩