Foreign Relations of the United States, 1946, The Far East: China, Volume X

893.00/9–2546: Telegram

General Marshall to the Acting Secretary of State

[Nanking,] 25 September 1946.

1556. Dear Mr. Clayton: Last night, Tuesday, a representative of Minister Wang⁶³ of Foreign Office called to inform me of Gromyko Soviet official statement⁶⁴ regarding presence of Marines in China and requested advice as to instructions to be sent to Chinese representative in Paris. On my statement that I would wish first to receive advice from you, I was told that instructions must be radioed Paris last night. I then counseled statement that Marines were in China under the sanction of the Chinese Government, that their original purpose under armistice agreements was to facilitate and expedite repatriation of two and half million Japanese in China, that this repatriation had virtually been completed and the Marines at present were safeguarding the operation of the Tientsin–Chinwangtao Railroad to insure the transport of vitally necessary coal, and that they were further concerned in providing for the maintenance and the security of the numerous individual Americans of Executive Headquarters in Peiping engaged in the effort to promote peace in China.

Further, that the original strength of some 55,000 had been reduced to 22,000 and was steadily being reduced week by week.

The representative of the Foreign Office did not think they would use the facts about the railroad mission and possibly other details. I counseled a frank statement of facts devoid of explanations. I will try to ascertain the actual instructions dispatched. I trust that my advice will prove to be in accordance with the considered action of the State Department.

G. C. Marshall

63. Dr. Wang Shih-chieh, Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs and chief Chinese delegate to the Paris Peace Conference, July 29–October 15, 1946.
64. For proposal on September 23 by the Soviet representative in the United Nations Security Council at Lake Success, N. Y., see United Nations Security Council’s Official Records, 1st year, 2d series, supplement No. 5, annex 9, p. 151. The proposal requested investigation of the presence of Allied troops on non-enemy territory.