893.00/1–445

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Grew)

Mr. Chang Kia-ngau21 came in at his request to introduce his brother, Mr. Carson Chang, who states that he is the leader of one of the minority parties in China which have merged in the Democratic Federation as the minority party in Chungking.

Mr. Chang talked at considerable length concerning the situation in China, and especially of Ambassador Hurley’s efforts as a result of his visit to Yenan to bring the Kuomintang and the Communists into accord.22 This has so far been impossible, as the terms of the Generalissimo23 and those of the Communists could still not meet.

Mr. Chang spoke with appreciation of General Wedemeyer, who, he said, is doing a great job.

He said that one of the great anxieties in China today is the prospect that after the war Russia may occupy and retain Manchuria, which would be a great blow to China as the war had initially been undertaken for the liberation of that country. China would be quite willing to grant Russia transit rights through Manchuria to Darien or Port Arthur, which they hoped could be declared an open port.24 He said that China would count on the support of the United States in this connection.

Mr. Chang then spoke of Japanese peace feelers which were constantly being received, but he said that they would fail as China was fully determined to fight the war through to victory. He also said that he had talked with Japanese from the Philippines who said that they realized that they could not keep the Philippines and were merely fighting a delaying action to enable them to fortify the coast of China against American invasion.

There was some further talk of the situation in Sinkiang and of the fact that Kazak raids were still continuing, but the Soviet Embassy in Chungking took the position that the Soviet Government could [Page 27] not restrain the Kazaks and that the Chinese Government should deal with them directly.25

Mr. Chang is about to proceed to Hot Springs, Virginia, to attend the meeting of the Institute of Pacific Relations, to which the Chinese are sending a delegation of seven members.

Joseph C. Grew
  1. Adviser of the Chinese Executive Yuan, temporarily in the United States.
  2. In November 1944; for documentation on this subject, see Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. vi, pp. 299 ff.
  3. President Chiang Kai-shek.
  4. For documentation on this subject, see pp. 851 ff.
  5. For documentation on this subject, see pp. 985 ff.