893.248/4–1248
The Chinese Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
1. According to the United States authorities concerned, the 8⅓ Group Program for the Chinese Air Force provides for 1,071 airplanes of various types, and prior to the suspension of the Program [Page 54] about two years ago 936 airplanes had been delivered to China, leaving in the books a balance of 135 planes, which upon delivery will complete the Program insofar as airplanes are concerned.
2. It is to be observed, however, that of the 936 planes turned over to China under the Program, 158 were not in serviceable condition at the time of delivery, and 222 planes were made available to China under Lend-Lease arrangements, which by V–J Day had seen a great deal of service and were already worn out. Reference is also made to the fact that, on account of the suspension of the Program, all available planes in China have been put to excessive use and many of them on hand have been worn out and are beyond repair. As a result, the strength of the Chinese Air Force has been reduced to a critically low point. The Chinese Government requests, therefore, that, in view of the aforementioned reasons and the fact that the main objective of the Program is to maintain 556 front-line planes, a total of 515 planes be made available to China at the earliest practical date in order to consummate the Program.
3. The planes required to fulfill the inventory figures of the Program are as follows:
| a. | Planes not yet delivered. | P–51 | P–47 | B–25 | B–24 | F–5 | C–46 | Total |
| 53 | 42 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 3 | 135 | ||
| b. | Planes received but unserviceable. | 63 | 27 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 49 | 158 |
| c. | Lend-Lease planes to be replaced. | 120 | 0 | 50 | 37 | 15 | 0 | 222 |
| Total number of planes required under Program. | 236 | 69 | 63 | 74 | 21 | 52 | 515 | |
Since 150 C–46 planes were bought by the Chinese Government from the War Assets Administration in November, 1947, and some 16 similar planes are being delivered to China from the Pacific area under arrangements recently entered into, there is no further need of such type of planes as originally provided for under the Program. It is desired that the 52 planes of the C–46 type be replaced by the same number of fighters or light bombers. As regards the 74 B–24’s, it may be mentioned that such planes or similar heavy bombers are of no practical use to the Chinese Air Force as the present type of operations does not call for such planes. They may be replaced by fighters such as the P–51’s or P–47’s or light bombers such as the B–25’s or A–26’s. The Chinese Embassy is gratified to note that the Department of State had promised on February 26th that it would undertake to explore all the possibilties of substituting the same number of fighters for the 37 B–24’s as a part of the book balance of 135, leaving [Page 55] for further consideration at a later date the question as to the total number of planes to be made available to China under the Program after pertinent records would have been consulted.
4. As it will be recalled, officials of the Department and the Office of the Foreign Liquidation Commissioner had in February informed the Chinese Embassy and a representative of the Chinese Air Force in Washington that 95 fighter planes would be made available to China. These planes, however, will have to be reconditioned, flight-tested, dismantled, crated and then shipped to China. It is learned that the process may take eight months after the planes will have been allocated and not counting the time required for shipment. As such planes are urgently needed, the Chinese Embassy has had occasions to request the Department that the United States authorities would undertake to allocate to China from the United States Air Command in the Pacific 95 fighter planes or whatever number available, which will be replaced in due course by planes to be assigned to China under the Program. The Chinese Embassy wishes to reiterate its request that a maximum number of fighter planes under the Program be made available to China from the Pacific at the earliest possible date.
5. As to the remaining planes, it is suggested for the favorable consideration of the United States authorities that small aircraft carriers be used to transport them, without disassembling or crating, across the Pacific immediately after they will have been flight-tested. In the event of technical difficulties which may arise in connection with the landing of planes from United States carriers at Chinese aerodromes, the planes may be unloaded on an island under the control of the United States authorities sufficiently near to the Chinese coast so that they can be ferried to China under their own power by Chinese pilots.
6. On account of the urgent military situation in China, the Chinese Air Force is in pressing need of the undelivered ammunition, spare parts, and spare engines under the Program. It will be highly appreciated if this ammunition and equipment will be released to China at the earliest practical date.