121.893/7–2747: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Davis) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 27—6:02 a.m.]
1825. Following statement distributed to press through USIS upon General Wedemeyer’s arrival at Shanghai July 6 [26]:
“As indicated in my initial press release upon arrival in Nanking last Tuesday, the members of my mission will visit various points and gain contact with as many diversified sources of authoritative information throughout China as our brief visit will permit. The past 4 days have been productive of results in our quest for factual information. We are obtaining data from all strata within the government, as well as from Chinese in educational fields and professional and commercial activities. We hope thereby to acquire a cross section of political, economic and psychological conditions. Obviously this, our initial visit to Shanghai, will afford excellent opportunities to supplement information already available pertaining to financial and economic matters.
“We have received many and varied suggestions from numerous authoritative sources. These suggestions are being submitted by Chinese truly interested in the establishment of a stable political and economic structure within their country. Apparently the statement in my initial press release, to the effect that the members of the mission [Page 673] are interested in determining what China has done and can do through her own effort to bring about recovery, has struck a sympathetic chord in the hearts and minds of many selfless, patriotic Chinese. I have received definite indications from such sources that there are many constructive steps that the Chinese can take to insure honest and efficient governmental processes and to restore economic stability. The members of the mission are interested in seeing what constructive steps have already been taken.”