Office of the Historian

893.00/15324: Telegram

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

Chungking, March 31, 1944—4 p.m.
[Received 9:22 p.m.]

569. Rice14 reports from Lanchow under date March 26 that it is rumored there that a Moslem force under Ma Chung-ying (Kansu Moslem leader driven out of Sinkiang by Sheng Shih-tsai in 1933–34 and rumored since to have been residing in United States [U.S.S.R]) has occupied areas north and west of Tihwa, including Ining.

[Page 765]

A rumor current here is to effect that Ma with Russian support including 4 planes is leading rebellion in Kashgar region of south Sinkiang. It is possible these rumors may have been inspired by alleged bombing attacks reported in Embassy’s 561, March 30 and previous, and may represent Chinese attempt to impugn Russia’s attitude toward Sinkiang similar to efforts along this line mentioned in last paragraph of Embassy’s despatch 1937, December 21.15

Tihwa is being instructed to report by telegraph.

Gauss
  1. Edward E. Rice, Second Secretary of Embassy in China.↩
  2. Foreign Relations, 1943, China, p. 389.↩