893.00/10–848
The Consul at Shanghai ( Styles ) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 19.]
Sir: I have the honor to enclose a memorandum60 prepared in this office on the current status of the government’s effort to purge Shanghai’s educational institutions of student agitators.
When it is remembered that almost all of the student agitation of the post war period has been publicly against foreigners and foreign policy and never openly against the National Government, it might be difficult to understand this severe governmental attitude, which could be based legally only on disturbing the peace, were it not appreciated that student unrest and disturbances in practically every case have sprung from the students’ dissatisfaction with their country’s government. The use of other slogans has been used as a subterfuge to avoid direct charges of insurrection and to confound the government by indirection.
Unfortunately, this typically Chinese approach has involved the United States Government since student thinking follows the rather direct line that: They want a new government; the present government would have fallen long ago if it depended on its record and native support; it survives, despite the wishes of the majority of the Chinese, only because it has been continually bolstered up from the outside; the [Page 489] United States single-handedly has supplied that bolstering; therefore the position of the United States is one opposed to the liberal student movement desiring reform and regeneration; therefore the United States is identified with a Chinese Government so inefficient, corrupt, and incompetent as to have few counterparts in the five thousand years of recorded Chinese history.
In a recent discussion with the acting president of St. John’s University on the subject of an increase of use of USIS61 material on the campus to counteract the known flood of Communist inspired propaganda there, an officer of this Consulate General was told quite frankly that so long as the present Nanking Government continued on its present course and so long as the American Government continued to supply the wherewithall for it to continue on that course, there was nothing that could be done, by means of USIS material or otherwise, that could foster a more understanding and friendly attitude by the students toward the United States. The students, he said, were so absorbed in what they considered their major problem that they were completely unable to appreciate any collateral aspects of American foreign policy which might be offered to justify the American stand; and any American attempts, no matter how cautious, at political indoctrination would in all probability back-fire.
Mr. Pott did agree, however, to periodic presentation of USIS educational and sports films, the screening details for which are now being worked out.
Because of this deep-seated dissatisfaction of the students with the Nanking Government it can not be expected that the recent efforts to liquidate the student agitators and free the campuses of known Communists will go far toward allaying student unrest. As with Shanghai’s current price control measures, police action may “keep the lid on” for a time, but so long as the internal pressure continues to build up, the basic problem has not been solved, and Shanghai’s students will in all probability be heard from again in not too many months.
Respectfully yours,