811.42793/1490
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 12, 1944.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Department’s instructions Nos. 406 of September 27, 1943 and 420 of October 11, 1943,46 in regard to a proposal of the Ministry of Communications to send 500 technicians annually to the United States for training, and to enclose a copy of a letter from the Minister of Communications dated December 8, 1943,47 with which he transmits details of the plan drawn up by the Ministry.
Summary: The Ministry is preparing to send 285 technicians abroad during the first year of the plan, including 200 to the United States and 85 to Great Britain and Canada. They will be sent out at the earliest possible date after the selection and examinations now under way are completed. The Ministry contemplates the sending of superintendents abroad to supervise the studies of the junior engineers and to facilitate the smooth working of the plan. Two classes of technicians are mentioned, including senior officials of the Ministry who will be sent abroad on inspection tours (30 in the first year of the plan) and junior engineers who will be sent abroad for practical training (255 in the first year). Of the last named category, technicians will be allocated to specialize in railway, highway, telecommunication, navigation and aviation matters. End of Summary.
It is believed that the Department may wish to transmit details of this plan to the Secretary of Labor (Department’s Instruction No. 420 of October 11, 1943) and to the Secretary of the Treasury (Department’s Airgram No. 87, October 2, 1943). Information in regard to the plan of the Chinese Government to send technical students to the United States for study was given in the Embassy’s despatch No. 1819, November 16, 1943, to which the Department may wish to refer in connection with the present despatch.
Respectfully yours,