Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Notes by General Marshall on Conference With President and Madame Chiang Kai-shek at Their Country Residence, December 26, 1945
Following the Christmas dinner, the Generalissimo and Madame Chiang took me with the American Minister, Mr. Robertson, and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Wang, to the cottage on their country place. There the Generalissimo discussed several matters with me.
He asked my advice on the following:
He said that Stalin had requested him to send a representative to Moscow and he had in mind sending his son. He wanted my advice in the matter. I told him that I thought he should meet Stalin’s request, but I thought it imperative that the individual selected be one who would be very direct in his dealings with Stalin or the Russian Staff.
The Generalissimo informed me that the Russians had requested him to place troops in Changchun, the capital of Manchuria, and that he had given directions to fly a division in from Peiping. He asked my opinion regarding this. I told him his decision seemed the proper one.
He made some reference to the Russian attitude in Manchuria and I outlined at considerable length the United States experience with the Russians in Germany which included the question of what constituted “war booty.” I pointed out that a number of the actions of the Russians which the Chinese, the Generalissimo and Mr. Soong had talked to me as indicative of Russia’s collaboration with the Chinese Communist party and Russia’s maneuvers to deny Chinese control of any kind in Manchuria, were identical with the technique Russia had followed in dealings with the United States in other portions of the world. I stated that to me it was very important to determine whether or not the Russian Government was in contact with and was advising the Chinese Communist party for that I regarded it as very important to eliminate from consideration those Russian actions which were common to our procedure in any portion of the world.
I spoke to the Generalissimo regarding the serious state of affairs as to winter equipment that I had been told applied to his divisions near Kowloon and at Tientsin which were due for transfer to Manchuria; I told him that I had taken up with the War Department the question of locating winter equipment either in Alaska or the United States, or possibly in MacArthur’s forces, for issue to these Chinese divisions and I told him that I had not received definite information from the United States on the subject, but had received a preliminary message which indicated the possibility that such equipment in certain amounts [Page 815] could be made available on the coast of China seven weeks after the orders were given in the United States.
I also told the Generalissimo I was looking into the question of certain supplies in Burma, some 50 million dollars worth, which might be of immediate importance to the rehabilitation of China. He expressed appreciation in these matters and said that he would send two officers to see me. One to explain the situation from the Chinese point of view in Burma, and one to discuss the economic picture in China.