893.00/12–1947: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Stuart)
1542. Following among statements attributed Dr. Sun Fo by Scripps-Howard correspondent Farnsworth despatch bearing Dec 10 Nanking dateline “Either America must help us in an all-out way and assure the future of China or China will fall into the Soviet orbit. With piecemeal help China cannot withstand pressures that have been developing both inside and outside China, and China will have to ally herself with the Soviet Union against the rest of the world.”
Emb will recall (Urtel 1990 Sept 26)97 that this is but most recent of several interviews this tenor allegedly given by Sun Fo and that he in Jan 1942 made analogous remarks about doubtful wisdom China’s continuing fight Japan if US and UK determined concentrate their main forces Europe in effort first achieve victory that Theater operations. Nevertheless it would interest Dept to know whether Sun actually made statements attributed him this most recent interview and that cited Reftel whether ChiGovt is quietly pleased with them and extent to which they represent trend opinion substantial group.
- Not printed; it was a lengthy report on the China press for the week ending September 20, with a reference to “the sensational interviews by Doctor Sun Fo which strongly suggested that should agreement between the United States and China acceptable to China fail to materialize, China would have no alternative except to work out some kind of close rapprochement with the Soviet Union.” (893.9111RR/9–2647)↩