893.00/10–549: Telegram
The Chargé in China (Strong) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 11—1:54 a. m.]
Cantel 1166. Reference Cantel 1072, September 6, 6 p. m. After further discussion with Chu Chang-wei, Embassy has been furnished with series of charts indicating total weapons, ammunition, vehicles and draft animals possessed by 23 armies and one independent division under command of Pai Chung-hsi, the balance required fully to arm and supply them, and the quantities necessary for the 10 new armies Pai wishes to raise and for which he does not have resources. Charts also show aircraft (700), tanks (500) and equipment needed by his command as he hopes to enlarge it and states that his headquarters needs 14½ million silver dollars monthly for wages, services, overhead, food, and fodder for present forces and would need additional 7¾ million silver monthly for 10 new armies.
Charts will be mailed Department as in previous instance with partial translations. Following brief commentary seems to be called for: Pai has again failed indicate continuing sources of supply such as products from arsenals, and taxes in coin and kind levied on areas under his control; he has not indicated consumption levels or period of time for which stated stocks are adequate, nor period of time to be covered by supplies needed from outside sources; he has again indulged in luxury of wishful thinking in requesting tanks and aircraft and other types of weapons which his troops not qualified to use and for which long training needed. As against immediacy of his situation, rather than considering only basic items necessary to fight a Chinese war, he apparently has taken US Army organization and supply tables and simply gone down the list, et cetera.
In other words, we feel little of value has been added to the previous inadequate and even fatuous document previously commented on and submitted by mail. We had hoped something more basic and suitable would be forthcoming. It might be of interest to Department to compare the “plan” submitted by Li and Pai to Badger in US with the documents handed to Embassy inasmuch as AstALUSNA Canton, who has seen neither of documents received by Embassy, has made remarks which indicate there may be basic differences.
Embassy regrets necessity for continuing negative attitude on this matter; we should like to find something favorable, an indication that better things can be expected of Li and Pai than from their predecessors in military prominence. Admittedly they are working on a “shoestring” but this fact does not entitle them to reach for the sky. In our [Page 551] estimation their requirements are primarily rifles, bullets, rice, radio equipment and silver.