893.00/4–1947: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 19—4:46 a.m.]
850. Following message received from American Consul [at] Changchun:
“149, April 18. Harbin radio news broadcast yesterday 1045 hours carried item essentially as follows (English translation):
‘In the Tientsin area the American Army is assisting Chiang’s army to construct a huge airfield. At Tangku and other places moreover there are stored large quantities of munitions in preparation for launching an attack on the liberation army in the eastern Hopei military area. Our army to get the jump on the other on a certain day this month moved with a task force and attacked a munitions dump of a certain Chiang army whereupon American troops opened fire with rifles. After several hours of intense fighting there arrived a large number of tanks dispatched by the American Army from Tientsin in reinforcement. Our troops gallantly fought back. The result was that 1 munitions dump was destroyed and 6 American Army tanks blown up. With mission accomplished the Communist force “returned to base”.’”