Office of the Historian

893.00/7–347

Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Chinese Affairs (Ringwalt) to the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Vincent)

[Washington,] July 3, 1947.

In the light of recent Chinese public charges that the USSR is giving military aid to the Chinese Communists and that large numbers of Korean troops from Soviet-controlled north Korea have fought with the Chinese Communists in Manchuria, CA has made a summary of recent reports on this subject from American official sources as follows:

Changchun’s telegram of January 23:92 General Sun Li-jen states that practically all arms captured from Chinese Communists are Japanese and that no equipment of Soviet origin had been captured. He further states that in general the Communist forces in Manchuria were supplied from extensive supply dumps left intact by Japanese Kwantung Army, that the arms might have come to the Communists by other than direct delivery from Soviets and that the Communists in Manchuria probably possessed important supplies of Japanese arms and ammunition.

Nanking’s telegram of April 17:93 The Embassy has thus far received no dependable evidence of physical Soviet assistance of a military character to the Chinese Communists.

Report by Major Rigg94 based on observation during his detention by the Communists: “No evidence to support the Nationalist claims that Sino-Reds have Soviet arms and equipment. With line units it was impossible for us to even find a Russian-speaking Chinese soldier or officer. Explosives, ammunition and other supply boxes were all labelled in Chinese.”

Changchun’s telegram of June 9:95 Korean population of Manchuria in 1944 was about 1,400,000. There exists the logical possibility that there is traffic across the north Korean boundary with the area in Manchuria where most Koreans reside, but concrete evidence that Koreans with Chinese Communist troops in Manchuria actually came from north Korea would probably be very difficult to obtain.

Report from the Assistant Military Attaché at Changchun of June 14:94 Korean units identified are two mixed Chinese-Korean divisions apparently transport troops and another division northeast of Mukden, neither prominent in the fighting.

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Mukden’s telegram of June 18:96 Notwithstanding persistent rumors of Soviet equipping Communists with artillery and heavy weapons, such rumors have not been substantiated by appearance of such ordnance in field in noticeable quantities. The Communists appear to have captured considerable quantities of Nationalist military equipment, particularly in heavy weapon class. This is type of equipment which Communists need most and which to date has given Nationalists decided advantage.

Message from ComNavWesPac to the Naval Attaché at Nanking on June 30:97 There are no proven facts available to this command to support allegations of overt Soviet aid to the Chinese Communists. Reports from many individuals other than US observers have continuously stressed Soviet material support to the Chinese Communists. These reports, insofar as available to this command, have not thus far been upheld by incontrovertible evidence.

In summary, there appear to be no reports from American official observers which would prove that the Soviets have furnished military equipment to the Chinese Communists except for the Japanese arms and equipment obtained by the Communists during the Soviet occupation of Manchuria.98

A[rthur] R. R[ingwalt]
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. Telegram No. 828, April 17, 3 p.m., p. 99.↩
  3. Not found in Department files.↩
  4. Transmitted to the Department by the Ambassador in China in telegram No. 1241, June 9, 3 p.m., p. 174.↩
  5. Not found in Department files.↩
  6. No. 100, June 18, 5 p.m., p. 184.↩
  7. Not found in Department files.↩
  8. Notation by Brig. Gen. Marshall S. Carter, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State, regarding the last paragraph: “Sec’y informed orally.”↩