893.24/11–2349
Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Chinese Affairs (Sprouse) to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs (Merchant)
Shipments of Arms and Ammunition to China
The Department of the Army has informally advised this Department that the tanks pictured in the November 8 issue of the New York Times were in all probability part of a group of tanks procured with funds from the $125 million grants. Since the Chinese have purchased other tanks with funds from their own sources, it would not be possible to state with certainty whether these particular tanks were purchased under the $125 million grants without a more intensive study by the Department of the Army.
Present policy with respect to shipments of materiel being procured for the Chinese Nationalists by agencies of this Government remains as set forth in the NSC memorandum of February 8, which specified that shipments should be continued but not expedited. With respect to commercial shipments, the Chinese have had access to the normal arms markets of this country since May 26, 1947. On August 22, 1948 [1949?] the question of this Government’s making available to the Nationalists certain additional items of military materiel was referred to the Secretary after Ambassador Jessup, Dr. Fosdick43 and Mr. Butterworth had approved the proposed transfer. The transfers were subsequently approved by Mr. Rusk.
- Raymond B. Fosdick, consultant on Far Eastern matters.↩