893.00/4–2747: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 27—12:45 a.m.]
908. As in the case of the reorganized State Council (Embtel 851, April 19, 7 p.m.) it is still too early to determine what if any effect the reorganization of the Executive Yuan will have internally in China. It is clear, however, that there has been no real change in the actual administration of government which remains firmly in the control of the Kmt. It will be noted that in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Interior, Finance, Education, Communications, Social Affairs, Food, and Justice there have been no changes and the Kmt incumbents remain in office, though, of course, they are of varying political complexions.
Tso Shun-sheng of the Youth Party has assumed office as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and Li Huang of the same party has become Minister of Economic Affairs. Both are unknown quantities, and there is no info available indicating their qualifications for the posts they have assumed. Well-informed Chinese point out that in the case of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, it is being denuded of its most important functions which are being redistributed among Kmt-controlled ministries. The Social Democratic Party is represented [Page 111] only among the ministers without portfolio and it may be noted in this general connection that the leader of the party, Carson Chang, still refuses to take office in the Government.
Miao Yun-tai, well-known independent Yunnan industrialist wartime tin controller, has accepted office as minister without portfolio and in the Executive Yuan this may be accepted as a sign almost as hopeful as the appearance of K. P. Chen as State Councillor.
Out of 17 ministries and commissions, 14 are controlled by the Kmt, 2 by the Youth Party as noted above, and one by an Independent. It is to be noted, however, that the Independent is the Minister of Communications, General Yu Ta-wei, who is closely associated with the Whampoa clique.
Of the ministers without portfolio two are Kmt, 2 Social Democrats, 1 Independent, and 1 Youth Party. Fortunately there is a strong leavening of Political Science group adherents throughout the present Executive Yuan and notwithstanding the absence of any real change in the administrative posts, there remains a possibility that the appointment of Chang Chun as Premier may bring about more coordination and firmer direction than the Executive Yuan has hitherto had. Even with more effective functioning of the Executive Yuan, the political authority of the Premier will still depend upon the extent to which the Generalissimo is prepared to support him as against less progressive elements in the Kmt.73
- In a summary of “Chinese Government Reorganization” prepared for the Secretary of State, the Assistant Chief of the Division of Chinese Affairs (Rice) on April 28 concluded that “one is inclined, on the basis of past experience and of the limited character of the personnel and organizational changes effected, to doubt” that “the direction and character of the Government as it exists at present will prove substantially better than before the reorganization”.↩