Office of the Historian

811.003 Wallace, Henry A./44a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Gauss)

Washington, April 18, 1944—10 p.m.

521. Following message is from Vice President Wallace:

“Will you please convey to Madame Chiang the following message:

‘I am deeply appreciative of the hospitable telegram17 from you and President Chiang and I shall be happy and honored to accept your courteous invitation to be your house guest in Chungking.

Time will not permit me, I regret to say, to spend more than 2 or 3 days in Chungking and I also regret that my plans have not yet taken definite enough shape to enable me to fix a date for my visit to China. According to my tentative flying schedule, I should arrive in Chungking in the late afternoon and hope to spend the first evening and night with Ambassador Gauss. The next morning I shall be at your disposal.

I look forward with great pleasure to seeing you and President Chiang and with great interest to visiting China. With cordial best wishes and again thanking you for your courteous hospitality, Sincerely, Henry Wallace.’

Having in mind your recent telegram18 which referred to my earlier message, I have presumed to invite myself to be your guest for my first evening in Chungking. Please let me know if that will be convenient. I should prefer that the evening not be made a social event but that it be spent talking with you and the members of your staff. I have noted the final sentence in your telegram and shall be guided by your recommendation. You will see from my message to Madame Chiang that I cannot yet speak with definiteness regarding my plans. When they become definite I shall telegraph you fully and hope to receive your advice in regard to any matters that occur to you.”

Hull
  1. A memorandum of April 18 by the Chief of the Division of Chinese Affairs to the Secretary of State stated: “The Vice President received a message directly from Madame Chiang inviting him to be the house guest of President Chiang and herself during his stay in Chungking. At my suggestion the Vice President is replying through the Embassy.”↩
  2. Telegram No. 665, supra.↩