893.00/3–647: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 6—3:35 a.m.]
460. In his description to the Minister-Counselor of his recent trip to Manchuria where the Foreign Minister said he had not been since the end of the Jap war, he indicated he had assembled at Mukden the [Page 498] officials who were concerned about obtaining industrial equipment from Jap reparations. Dr. Wang spoke forcefully of the importance of Manchuria to China—not alone because of its natural resources but because it contained a large number of unusually able, energetic farmers who had migrated there since the fall of the Manchurian dynasty and who constituted a precious human resource. Foreign Minister reviewed the Chinese case vis-à-vis Russia and indicated that he had given a copy of his note to this Embassy (Embtel 196, February 4) to the Russian [Emb.?], at which time he had emphasized the high desirability of removing the “de facto obstacles” to occupation of Dairen. Dr. Wang also said that he had protested vigorously against the recent airplane flights and bomb droppings (re-Embtel 294, February 15) but had obtained no satisfaction beyond a denial from the Soviet military of their responsibility. He indicated, however, that Chinese authorities had photographs of the Soviet planes and that in his opinion Russia had no right even to drop bombs in practice on the Port Arthur area. In this connection he emphasized that Port Arthur was not leased to the Russians alone but was by treaty available to China as well as Russia in connection with defense against Jap aggression.
He said that he had info which had not been verified that Russians were removing railway engines from Dairen and, if it were true, he intended to protest against the disappearance of these jointly owned assets of the Changchun railway.
According to Foreign Minister, there is a group of some 30,000 Communists between the Nationalist army and the Russian controlled Port Arthur–Dairen area. Furthermore, the recent successful attack on Changchun has obviously evoked fears that if the National Govt should be allowed to occupy Dairen, it might not be able to be held unless special measures were taken. Dr. Wang said, “We must look at the whole situation in Manchuria and make our plans in a coordinated fashion.” As of possible pertinence in this connection, reference is made to Embtel 459, March 6, noon,39 repeating T. V. Soong’s40 forthcoming trip.
Minister Counselor gave Foreign Minister substance of the Soviet’s reply contained in circular of March 3, 6 p.m.,39 in which Foreign [Page 499] Minister was most interested and explained that the Soviet Ambassador41 was seeking an interview which he now assumed was connected with this correspondence.