Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1945, The Far East, China, Volume VII

761.93/8–1445: Telegram

The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Harriman) to President Truman and the Secretary of State

Moscow, 14 August 1945.
[Received 14 August—12:42 p.m.]

141040. Soong came to agreement with Stalin last night on all outstanding points at issue. He outlined the agreement verbally as follows:

(1) Board of Directors of the railroads will be equally Chinese and Soviet but one of Chinese will be chairman and in case of a difference the chairman will have the deciding vote. In return for this Soong has agreed that there should be a single Soviet manager of both railroads with a Chinese assistant manager. No Soviet guards are permitted on the railroads.

(2) In time of peace Soviet military will exercise no authority in city and port of Dairen including the connecting railway and roads. In the event of war the Soviet military will assume authority. The Chinese will administer the city of Dairen. There will be a master of the port who will be Soviet selected jointly by the Chinese Mayor of the city and the Soviet manager of the railways. Half of the port facilities will be leased to the Soviet Government at a nominal rental.

(3) Port Arthur will be a naval base officially for the joint use of the Soviet and Chinese navies but it is recognized that the Chinese will have little to say. There will be a Soviet-Chinese Military Commission to supervise the base and military zone consisting of three Russians and two Chinese with a Russian as Chairman. The Soviet Military Commander will control the Military Administration and the Chinese will have charge of Civil Administration subject to the Military Commander where military interests are involved. The military zone will extend north almost up to the line of the old Czarist lease except that military control will not be exercised in time of peace over the city and port of Dairen. The port of Dairen will not be used by the Soviet Navy nor will troops be stationed in the city area.

(4) Soviet Government agrees to give its moral, material and military support to China and solely to the Chinese National Government. I have not seen the exact language.

(5) Representative of the Chinese National Government will be allowed into Manchuria by the Red Army to establish civil administration and I understand Stalin has agreed to withdraw Soviet troops three months after cession [cessation] of hostilities.

(6) Independence of Outer Mongolia will be recognized by China after the plebiscite and the “existing” boundaries will subsequently be determined by a mixed Mongolian-Chinese Commission.

Soong is quite encouraged today because he feels that he has succeeded in obtaining Stalin’s agreement to the basic principles that he was fighting for. He is also encouraged to feel that since Stalin has fought so hard over each point he intends to live up to the understandings reached. He is very grateful for our support and is convinced that unless we had taken an active part in the negotiations he would have had to concede to all Stalin’s demands.

Since I have put Soong on notice that we were not supporting any Russian demands beyond the proposals he offered when he came to Moscow and since I do not see that our interests are adversely affected by the concession which he has made to lease half the port facilities to the Russians, I will interpose no further objection or comment unless instructed otherwise.

Soong is discussing with Molotov this morning the language of the assurances which the Soviet and Chinese Governments have agreed to give us that the Open Door policy will be respected. I have not as yet seen the Soviet amendments to the draft which I submitted to Stalin. It is expected that all the agreements will be signed today and Soong intends to leave tomorrow morning August 15 for the United States.

Stalin explained to Soong last night that it is the practice of the Red Army to live off the country in which they are fighting. He did not wish to requisition food from Chinese territory and therefore asked whether the Chinese Government would furnish the Soviets with the necessary currency or whether they would agree to the Russians issuing their own currency, the retirement of which would be Chinese responsibility. Soong argued that the American Army paid for supplies for its troops and asked that the Soviet Government do the same since China was a poor country. Stalin rejoined, “Russia is a poor country too.” Soong tells me that he will agree to Stalin’s second proposal and hopes that the Japanese can be forced to bear the cost of retiring this military currency.

The subject of war “trophies” has not been raised again and Soong feels that it should be left for Allied consideration at the termination of the war rather than dealt with in his present bilateral negotiations.

[Harriman]