800.91293/20: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received 5:13 p.m.]
592. Sun Fo told the Counselor this morning that he was sure Chinese Government planned to go forward with projected trip of correspondents to Yenan and that delay in arrival here of Lin Pai-hsu was honest reason for postponement as it was necessary to discuss arrangements within [with him?] (this refers to our 556, March 30). He said that nothing had been heard from Lin, was supposed to leave Yenan March 14, and Lin had possibly delayed his departure. He indicated that postponement was also due to inter-departmental difficulty in selecting Government personnel and Chinese newspapermen to accompany correspondents; it was planned that several Chinese military officers, 2 or 3 officials of Executive Yuan and 5 Chinese newspapermen were to be included but there were more than 5 Chinese newspapers which desired representation and some papers were [Page 395] “kicking up a row”, especially as several had been omitted from the trip to the Changteh front in December 1943. He said that his own representatives had been stricken off the list because of the need of keeping the total number within reasonable bounds.
We understand that Tai Li is to be represented in the group and of course the Kuomintang; that one Legislative Yuan official who was originally listed some time ago decided not to go out of fear that involvement might later be embarrassing to him; and that the Ta Kung Pao is afraid to send a representative.