893.00/7–2349: Telegram
The Consul at Shanghai (McConaughy) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 23—5:27 a. m.]
2906. This editorial37 is good example of now out-pouring vicious propaganda painting American Government as primarily responsible for continuance civil war, blockade and economic misery. (ReContel 2905) serious realities of blockade and air raids for Shanghai populace, American origin of blockading ships and strafing planes and known fact of Generalissimo’s Manila visit (which has stirred local Chinese suspicions to fever pitch) make Shanghai public easily gullible to such propaganda and greatly increase its potentialities for inflaming sentiment to point endangering well-being, if not lives, of local Americans. Prominent Americans have privately expressed to us justifiable alarm over press articles of this character; and would, of course, welcome issuance public statements by American Government or other channel denying or explaining away charges and implications. Consulate General realizes that such statements would not be always practicable. It occurs to us however that, alternatively or supplementarily, Department upon receiving our report of outstandingly slanderous editorial such as that under reference might undertake supply us brief factual material regarding specific points (as for example Chennault,38 Wu Te-chen’s39 heralded trip to Japan, developing American attitude toward blockade). We would find such material very helpful to use in our private talks with Chinese contacts, without quoting Department, as authoritative information to combat some of more serious false charges.
Sent Department; repeated Nanking 1634, OffEmb Canton 919.
- Telegram No. 2905, July 23, not printed, reported a Communist paper’s denunciation of “American imperialism” (893.9111 RR/7–2349).↩
- Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chennault (ret.), Chairman of the Board of Civil Air Transport (in China).↩
- Former Vice President of the Chinese Executive Yuan and Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩