893.00/1–1049
Memorandum by the Second Secretary of Embassy in China (Davies)
British Views on the China Situation
Mr. John Keswick, Counselor of the British Embassy and Political Liaison Officer to the Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia, invited me to lunch on November 16 primarily to question me, I believe, regarding conditions in Communist China and the possibility of a rapprochement between the Central Government and the Communists. I kept the conversation to generalities.
Mr. Keswick revealed in his conversation some points of view which are worth recording. He exhibited no concern over the expansion of the Chinese Communists in North China, seeming to take it pretty much for granted.
He engaged in speculation over the Generalissimo’s ability to unify China. Chiang had proved himself in the past, Keswick observed, to be a wiley hard-headed politician. If he had not become inflexible, [Page 701] and if he was surrounded by accurate information, he should be able to save the situation. Mr. Keswick wondered, however, whether this was still the case. Furthermore, if a coalition were formed and the Government reformed, many rice bowls would be broken. In other words, many of Chiang’s closest advisers must be strongly opposed to any coalition with the Communists.
A possible solution which Keswick suggested was a government for Kuomintang China in which the Generalissimo would occupy the position of the late Lin Sen and the actual control would be in the hands of Sun Fo, T. V. Soong and Pai Chung-hsi. Dr. Soong, however, had proved to be “disappointing”, Keswick remarked. Keswick displayed no strong conviction or enthusiasm regarding this solution. In fact, his attitude on the whole political situation was one of slightly perplexed resignation.
I asked him what British policy was. Keswick replied that it was to stay out of involvement in the present Chinese political scene. He said that the British felt that there was nothing that they could do at this stage to help the situation; that they proposed to wait and see.