893.00/10–945: Telegram
The Chargé in China (Robertson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:40 p.m.]
1758. Military Attaché’s report for week ending October 6 is summarized below.
During week several significant although lowly evaluated reports evidenced that Soviet military influence is growing in Manchuria and North China. There appears to be little doubt that Chinese Communist forces identified up to present as members of Eighth Route Army are obtaining from Soviet forces in Manchuria considerable quantities of captured Jap military supplies. Throughout Liaoning storage depots are being handed to them and Soviet forces are stated to have crossed the border of Hopei, disarming Japanese at Shanhaikuan [Page 579] and Kupeikou and turning over much of the booty to Communists.
In Hopei and Chahar provinces Soviet officers are stated to be in liaison with numerous Communist units and Soviet-Communist relations seem to be cordial. Soviet staff officers are said to be acting in an advisory capacity in Communist headquarters at Kalgan. (Military Attaché’s report here gives information already reported in Embassy 1735, October 6.)
The Kalgan–Peiping–Tatung area and most of Shanhaikuan–Mukden and Peiping–Tatung railroads are now under control of Communists. Active recruiting is reported throughout this region.
In addition to present Central Government pressure on Communists in East Central China, it is reported that General Wang En-po has been relieved of command of Shanghai area and given special duty of protecting Tientsin–Pukou Railroad from Communist interference. No information is now available as to forces which will be given General Wang for this purpose, but it is assumed that strong forces will be made available as Shanghai area situation improves and Japanese demobilization is completed.
(Military Attaché here reports on situation in Kunming which has been fully covered by reports from Consul in Kunming.)
There are reports that General Yen Hsi-hsin of Shansi Province may be treated in the same way as Governor Lung Yun of Yunnan Province. (End of Summary)