393.1115/12–1748: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Cabot) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 17—6:55 a.m.]
2812. Deptel 2200, December 16, noon.23 Navy and Consul General entirely agree to points (a) and (c). Regarding point (c), no emergency air evacuation now contemplated; evacuation to be ship borne.
Respectfully request reconsideration of point (b) in light of following factors:
Navy desires to operate GCA24 on JUSMAG withdrawal. This is only GCA in this area and is vital for air safety as Christmas Day accidents 1946 show. GCA services both military and civilian airplanes [Page 942] to safety. Navy also wishes to operate weather control and MATS Terminal. Other essential local US Armed Forces services such as Utility Squadron and Attaché’s planes use this field. Transfer to Lunghwa impractical and Navy considers Lunghwa virtually as much a military objective as Kiangwan. Only service personnel and no Marine units now stationed Kiangwan; units would be sent there only on declaration of emergency to evacuate service personnel if necessary. Navy contemplates using Kiangwan only for convenience and to abandon it first sign of opposition or hostile act by any Chinese.
I concur with Navy’s position in this matter.
Sent Department, repeated Nanking 2111.