793.94/5657
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hornbeck) of a Conversation With the Former Chinese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs (Lee)
Mr. Lee inquired whether the Department had any new information with regard to Jehol. Mr. Hornbeck replied that we had a telegram quoting a Reuter despatch circulated in the Far East saying that military operations in the Jehol area were apparently impending; also that the newspapers this morning had had something on the subject; [Page 459] but that we had nothing official. Mr. Lee said that it looked as though such operations were likely soon to begin. He said that if the Japanese made an attack, China would resist and that it would be with regular forces as distinguished from irregulars. He said that it looked to him as though China and Japan are “drifting toward war” although it “may be that at no time will war be declared”. The Chinese recognize, he said, that the Japanese may be able for the time being to defeat Chinese armed forces and to seize what they choose to seize, but in the long run the Chinese would wear them down. He said that he saw no reason to believe that economic factors in Japan would in the appreciably near future “break” the Japanese. Only the test of force, as between China and Japan, would be conclusive. He said that the attitude of the Chinese on the subject of the boycott would almost surely cause the Japanese to intensify their military operations. That, in turn, would increase the will of the Chinese to resist and would result in increased activity of resistance on their part.