793.94/16245: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)
196. Your 577, November 20, 9 a.m.98 We appreciate the thought-fulness of Chiang Kai-shek in having taken steps to communicate to us the information contained in your telegram under reference.
From the information in our possession it appears that the recent Hitler–Molotov conversations at Berlin are one of a series and that they will probably be continued in one or more places; that the Berlin conversations were arranged at least in part for the purpose of their psychological and propaganda effect upon various governments and peoples; and that it may be expected that the Axis and associated governments will endeavor to use the fact of the conversations to their advantage in diplomacy as well as in propaganda. We have no reason to believe that there have come out of the conversations any definitive agreements, at least in so far as the Far East is concerned. We have received no indication that there occurred in the conversations any development that was intended to be inimical to China, or any concrete agreement in regard to matters relating to China. It is not to be doubted that Germany has been bringing diplomatic pressure to bear upon both Soviet Russia and Japan looking to a rapprochement between those two countries which might result in an agreement beneficial to the Axis powers in Europe. In this particular connection it is also to be expected that Japan will endeavor to use such Soviet-Japanese conversations as have taken place to Japan’s diplomatic and military advantage. It is our belief, from the information we have received, that out of various German efforts to bring about a Soviet-Japanese rapprochement there has not yet occurred any concrete developments. That German-Japanese-Soviet conversations may result in an agreement in regard to the Far East which would affect Chinese interests is, of course, a possibility, but we have no evidence to support an assumption that Soviet Russia contemplates an arrangement which would have as [its] purpose sacrificing China to the advantage of Japanese and/or German imperialism. It seems axiomatic that Germany very much desires to see Japan freed from her present involvement in China in order that Japan might be in a better position to further Germany’s objective of defeating Britain by taking military action against British territory and interests in general in the Far East.
The Department suggests that unless you perceive objection you communicate the substance of the foregoing orally and in confidence to Chiang Kai-shek or other appropriate official of the Chinese Government.
Sent to Chungking only.