893.00/9–249
The Vice Consul at Kunming (Lutkins) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 18.]
Sir: I have the honor to report concerning a two-hour interview which I had with Governor Lu Han on August 31st, in the course of which he expressed his views on the present situation in South China and Yunnan and commented on the developments of the past four years in China.
[Page 517]Summary—The Governor believed that after capturing Canton the Communists would probably strike westward into Kwangsi in an attempt to crush the forces of Pai Ch’ung-hsi. The latter would probably ‘attempt resistance, but Governor Lu indicated that he considered a successful defense to be unlikely.
In the Governor’s opinion, if General Pai continued to fight on and the Nationalists resolved to undertake a protracted resistance in West China, attempts would inevitably be made to convert Yunnan into a Nationalist stronghold. However, he did not expect the arrival of any additional Nationalist troops in the province until such time as the Communist advance had pushed the Government armies back into western Kweichow and Kwangsi.
Over half of the interview was devoted to a discussion, initiated by the Governor, of the developments of the past four years in China and America’s present China policy. In response to his questions I stated that as a personal observer my impression was that no further American aid would be forthcoming to Nationalist China, but that at the same time our policy toward the Communists appeared to be hardening. The Governor agreed that it was now too late for the United States to furnish any effective aid.
Governor Lu believed that the principal error of America’s postwar policy in China has been not to compel the Generalissimo and the Kmt reactionaries by force or threats to accept the arrangements for a coalition government and a unified army, which had been worked out at the time of the Marshall Mission.23 He emphasized the traditional friendship existing between the Chinese and American peoples on all levels and declared that the anti-American sentiment prevalent in China during the last few years was limited to a small group. He concluded by stating that the Chinese people had always distrusted the Russians and that in the long run they would reject both Communism and a pro-Russian orientation in national policy.
The Governor stated in reply to my opening question that he considered a protracted defense of Canton unlikely in view of the fact that the Nationalist troops were greatly outnumbered. If and when Canton fell, he thought, the Communists would probably not proceed immediately to launch an attack on Taiwan which might involve them in conflict with the United States24 and which would involve considerable preparation. Instead he thought that they would almost certainly move west and endeavor to crush remaining Government forces in Kwangsi, Kweichow, and the South-West.
[Here follows detailed report on interview.]
Respectfully yours,
- See Foreign Relations, 1946, volumes ix and x .↩
- Marginal notation: “Apparently wide-spread Chinese belief.”↩