893.00/5–2649: Telegram
The Minister-Counselor of Embassy in China (Clark) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 27—10:28 a. m.]
Cantel 476. Illness Li Tsung-jen was not diplomatic. He still looks bad. Nevertheless he spent more than an hour today endeavoring convince me that if China goes Communist Southeast Asia, Japan, Philippines and Australia are doomed to militant Communism. One reason cited was revealing statement that during Peiping peace negotiations, Mao Tse-tung had sent word to Pai Chung-hsi that on termination hostilities, he (Pai) would have even more troops under his command than now, an obvious effort by Communists wean Li and Pai away from Kmt.
[Page 347]Machinery has been set in motion for meeting Li and Generalissimo but nothing yet definitely fixed. Li’s talk with Chen Cheng, Governor Taiwan, he said, was most satisfactory; that he and Chen agreed on necessity fighting Communism to finish. When I inquired whether as result his statement made under pressure from right wing Kmt he anticipated access Taiwan treasure, he laughingly said: “Making promises is one thing; carrying them out is another”.
Li continues express determination defend Southwest China in which he hopes to include Kwangtung, but will at least include West River area. He still does not speak with conviction, however, and was bitter in his condemnation of Hu Tsung-nan for having withdrawn from Sian without battle and without instructions from Minister National Defense.41
Sent Department, repeated Nanking 327, Shanghai 280.
- The Consul General at Peiping in his telegram No. 899, May 26, 5 p. m., reported the recent capture of Taiyuan, capital of Shansi, by Communist forces (893.00B/5–2649).↩