Foreign Relations of the United States, 1949, The Far East: China, Volume VIII

893.01/1–1449: Telegram

The Consul General at Shanghai (Cabot) to the Secretary of State

Shanghai, January 14, 1949—5 p. m.
[Received 7:59 p. m.]

127. Executive local airline saw Vice Minister Foreign Affairs⁸⁶ January 13 and in course his endeavors sell Vice Minister use of civil airlines for evacuation Government personnel, Nanking, was advised that large scale air movement of Government personnel to Taiwan from Assistant Minister level down was scheduled to be undertaken by CAF⁸⁷ on January 15.

Source also learned that CAF had moved from Nanking all motor vehicles which Air Force elected to keep; last LST left Nanking with this equipment on January 13. Source also quoted Vice Minister as saying he did not think that “cannon shots would be heard in Nanking for about 3 weeks”.

Sent Department 127; repeated Nanking 99.

Cabot

86. Tung Lin, Chinese Administrative Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs.
87. Chinese Air Force.