893.00/2–2847: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 1—8:40 a.m.]
390. For General Marshall from Butterworth. Ambassador McNutt76 arrived here from Shanghai this morning, had pleasant but inconsequential talk with T. V. Soong,76a a rather long talk with the Generalissimo, lunched with the Foreign Minister, and then took off for Peiping.
In the course of conversation, Generalissimo asked me to inform you that there will be announced in a day or two the reorganization of the Legislative and Control Yuans, that he regards this as a significant step inasmuch as by the inclusion of non-Kuomintang groups and independents the single party system will be abrogated. Since I have had a sense recently of the Govt’s preoccupation with military matters—which do not seem to be going any too well—I took the liberty and precaution of calling on yesterday both Blanchard [Blandford] and General Pei [Pee]77 and reading to them pertinent excerpts from the report of your conversation with Ambassador Wellington Koo.78 I was not at all sure that Koo would report his conversation with you as accurately as might be desirable and an opportunity was thus also afforded to keep up the pressure for Govt reorganization. Accordingly, I asked Generalissimo what plans he had for the reorganization of the State Council and Executive Council [Yuan;] after some discussion of a friendly nature, he asked me to inform you, in confidence, that the reorganization of these bodies would take place not before 2 weeks and not later than 4 weeks. Incidentally, I delivered the President’s letter of acknowledgment to him.79 This afternoon’s pouch has brought 2 letters for Madame Chiang which I shall send to her when she returns from Shanghai in a day or two.
Ambassador McNutt took the occasion both with T. V. Soong and the Generalissimo to urge patience on their part with the Philippine Govt in its present adolescent and difficult period of adjustment. He told the Generalissimo that President Roxas had the instincts of a statesman, that though he had to play a very political game at times, in the end he would adhere to a cooperative and enlightened course of action vis-à-vis Sino-Philippine problems. Generalissimo who before had been talking vaguely and generally perked up at this description of Roxas and asked McNutt about the extent of Communism in the Philippines, the amount of arms and guerrilla bands, et cetera, et cetera.
[Page 46]Mr. and Mrs. McNutt made a most favorable impression on the Chinese officials with whom they came in contact and were very cordially received by them. [Butterworth.]
- Paul V. McNutt, Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines.↩
- President of the Chinese Executive Yuan; brother-in-law of Chiang Kai-shek.↩
- Gen. Peter T. K. Pee, aide-de-camp to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.↩
- See memorandum of February 17, p. 1066.↩
- January 28, 1947, Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. x, p. 704.↩