393.1115/8–2749
The Secretary of State to the Secretary of Defense (Johnson)
My Dear Mr. Secretary: I refer to your letter of August 2753 relative to the proposed call of the SS General Gordon at Shanghai for the purpose of evacuating American and other nationals.
I feel certain that we will agree that every reasonable effort should be made to evacuate the considerable number of Americans in the Shanghai area who desire to leave China. The situation of the American community in Shanghai has become increasingly difficult. In the absence of other available facilities for departure from Shanghai, arrangements were made for the call of the SS General Gordon in an effort to meet the rapidly increasing desire of Americans to leave. The [Page 1330] prospective call is a matter of public knowledge in China. A failure to provide this means of exit would be regarded as an indication of our intention not to assist them to leave, at least by those Americans now caught in Shanghai as well as by their families and friends in the United States. An abandonment of the prospective call at this time might well be regarded throughout China and elsewhere as an unwillingness on the part of the United States to accept risks which traditionally have been accepted in order to protect American citizens abroad.
The Department of State is anxious to work out with your Department the way in which this trip can be carried out with the least possible risk to American interests. The suggestions of the Commander of the Seventh Task Fleet, which were communicated to the Department some weeks ago, were transmitted to the American Consul General in Shanghai. The Consul General informed us that it is the opinion of shipping authorities, concurred in by the Assistant Naval Attaché at Shanghai, that smaller draft vessels are not available in Chinese waters for use in transporting passengers and their effects to a rendezvous outside Chinese territorial waters. A renewed inquiry of the Consul General, following the receipt of your letter, has elicited a strong reaffirmation of the opinion that neither coastal steamers nor facilities for a call outside Shanghai harbor are available.
The possibilities of evacuation of Americans by commercial planes have also been considered, but this prospect does not appear hopeful because of the difficulties of obtaining approval of the proposed flights from both the Nationalist Government and Communist authorities.
We believe that your Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will have seen the telegrams from the Consulate General at Shanghai, the Office of the Embassy at Canton, and the Embassy at Nanking, which comment in full on the question of alternatives to the entry of the SS General Gordon and emphasize strongly the unfortunate effect which the failure of that vessel to call would have upon the morale of Americans and the prestige of the United States in that country. For your convenience, copies of these telegrams are attached.
Although it is admitted that some risk attaches to the entry of the SS General Gordon into Shanghai, these risks have been assessed by and are acceptable to the operators of the SS General Gordon. The American President Line has obtained commitments from both Nationalist and Communist Chinese authorities for the safe passage of their vessel. Although there is no absolute guarantee that the assurances of these authorities will be effective, it is believed that such publicly-known commitments will serve greatly to reduce the risks which are inherent in the situation.
[Page 1331]While the Department of State stands ready to consider jointly with you any alternative course that involves the least risk to the over-all American interest, it clearly appears upon the basis of all available information that the only means of removing any sizable number of Americans from the Shanghai area within the foreseeable future is a call of the SS General Gordon at that port. Accordingly, I am forced reluctantly to the conclusion that the evacuation of Americans should go forward as planned, and I trust that you will agree that the possibility of a military incident, referred to by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a risk which in the circumstances must be taken.
Sincerely yours,