893.00/15300
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 15.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s despatch No. 2083, January 28, 1944,76 in regard to the general situation in Foochow, and despatch No. 2084 of the same date77 on the subject of sabotage and [Page 354] fifth column activity in China. There are now enclosed excerpts of an undated but recently prepared report77a by Mr. John C. Caldwell of OWI78 on general conditions in Fukien Province.
Summary. The Fukienese are, for the most part, more interested in improving the poor government which has long been forced on them than in winning the war; graft, bribery and corruption are standard practices to be found in every section of the province.
The United States appears to be the most popular foreign country while there is an intense anti-British feeling throughout the province. Wang Ching-wei is considered by many to be an astute patriot and a certain amount of cooperation with the Japanese is felt to be politically expedient as Fukien has been more or less abandoned by the Central Government. This feeling, however, has changed considerably with the increased bombings of Japanese shipping by the U. S. 14th Air Force.
The burning of four highway bridges in Western Fukien in early December was felt by some Chinese officials to mark the beginning of a program of sabotage by Japanese agents to keep American forces out of the area (Embassy’s despatch No. 2084, January 28, 1944).
Trade with Shanghai is flourishing, both in legitimate and illegitimate goods, and there are said to be 300 ocean-going junks which are engaged solely in the trade. It is suggested that these so-called “smugglers” be utilized to rescue American aviators forced down near the coast and to procure enemy newspapers and magazines from occupied territory.
There appears to be a feeling prevalent among many Chinese that the abolition of the “unequal treaties” signifies that American church and business properties may be appropriated at will and that Americans are now devoid of all rights in China. It is suggested that if the ignorance about this question is not corrected it may eventually lead to a worsening of relations between China and the United States.
Mr. Caldwell notes the adverse effect on Chinese morale occasioned by the closing of the American Consulate and suggests that the establishment of “an American Government office”, such as a branch of the O. W. I., would bring about a favorable psychological reaction. End of Summary.
Mr. Caldwell was born [in] Futsing, Fukien, the son of missionary parents who are still residing in the province and are highly respected both among the Chinese and foreign communities. His ability to speak the local dialect with fluency and, through his family connections, to mingle on friendly terms with natives and officials of all classes has facilitated his work of disseminating war information and, in addition, of collecting information on political and economic conditions in Fukien province. The Embassy will continue to forward to the Department the pertinent sections of any future reports of interest received from Mr. Caldwell.
[Page 355]With regard to the establishment of a branch office of the O. W. I. in Fukien province, I have instructed Mr. Fisher79 that, while it is not believed desirable at the present time to encourage the continued residence of Americans in the Foochow area by establishing an office of any Government department or war agency in that city, the Embassy would perceive no objection to the establishment of a small O. W. I. branch office at some point west of the Min River bottleneck, e. g. at Nanping or Yungan.
Respectfully yours,