893.30 Mission/9–3046: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:57 a.m.]
1562. As indicated in telegram from SevFleet liaison officer Nanking No. 3001616Z [300116Z]64 General Marshall gave approval to activation of Naval Advisory Group but desired minimum publicity when activated. He did so on sole basis that such action would not seriously affect his mission and he did not name a specific date.
The situation of the SevFleet at Tsingtao is as indicated in Embassy’s 1483, September 14, 2 p.m. The future Naval Advisory Group, Tsingtao, is now in process of training some 1200 Chinese officers and men who will man one tanker and 18 varying types of landing craft which are being turned over in the next couple of months. Training for combat ships should begin thereafter and should be on a de jure basis.
Embassy fully shares doubts of Department mentioned in final paragraph of its 768, September 19, 8 p.m., of desirability of concluding any formal agreement with Chinese Government on these matters at this time, particularly in view of international developments. It did not favor embarking on a Naval Advisory Group Agreement and therefore, as the lesser of two evils, advocated tying such an arrangement into the previously initiated general agreement. It now recommends, with General Marshall’s concurrence, deferring action until after meeting of the Chinese National Assembly on November 12.
However, Embassy should be in a position to act promptly thereafter. The most desirable course, if circumstances permit, would be to conclude a combined agreement in the sense of the penultimate paragraph of Deptel 768, September 19, 8 p.m. Embassy requests a draft of an article covering this point. Incidentally, Chinese would certainly prefer a combined agreement.
If such an agreement should not be regarded as politically expedient at that time and the exigency of the SevFleet’s position at Tsingtao nevertheless required that the Naval Advisory Group in any case be activated, it is recommended that the article to be added be so drafted as to emphasize Congressional responsibility by setting the date of coming into force as that of enactment of enabling legislation. It is likely, in the Embassy’s opinion, that the activation for Naval Advisory Group will attract little attention as compared with similar activation for Army Advisory Group.
[Page 847]No difficulties are anticipated in obtaining Chinese acceptance of articles 16, 17, and 19 since the reaction of Foreign Office upon presentation was favorable.
- Telegram of August 30, not printed.↩