893.30 Mission/4–347
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Chinese Affairs (Ringwalt) to the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Vincent)
Subject: Nanking’s 712, April 1.
You will recall that in the conference between Secretary Marshall and Secretary Forrestal on February 20, 1947 the Secretary stated that he had no objection to the establishment of a separate naval advisory group, but that this was a matter which should be worked out between War and Navy Departments.
It is Navy’s position that by virtue of Public Law 512, approved July 16, 1946, it has the necessary authority to proceed with the formal establishment of the naval advisory group. Accordingly, Navy has drafted an agreement28 between the United States and Chinese Governments which would formalize the activities of the naval advisory group. Navy’s draft agreement is based on a combined draft military and naval advisory group agreement29 which State, War and Navy have already tentatively agreed to, but of course omits any reference to a military advisory group. This draft agreement has been forwarded by Navy to General Lincoln30 in the War Department for his comment. Captain Fenno who is directly concerned in Navy with the naval advisory group tells me that his office has not come to any decision as to procedure in the event (which is entirely possible) that War Department objects strenuously to a separate naval advisory group agreement.
- Not found in Department files.↩
- Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. x, p. 830.↩
- Brig. Gen. George A. Lincoln, General Staff, U. S. Army.↩