Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, The Far East, Volume IV

893.51/7021: Telegram

The Counselor of Embassy in China (Peck) to the Secretary of State

Chungking, January 3, 1940—3 p.m.
[Received 4:55 p.m.]

4. Department’s 245, December 29, 7 p.m.³²

1. Message³³ and communication dated November 9 [10]³⁴ were both delivered January 2, 5 p.m.

2. Following is summary of informal conversation: contents of the two communications were translated by Hollington Tong.^34a Recipient listened at all times attentively and afterwards expressed his pleasure and asked that his thanks be conveyed to the sender. The Government is taking steps including anti-aircraft guns to protect Yunnan Railway. The Japanese are now concentrating their military effort in South China and he regards this as offering much more favorable opportunity for Chinese victory. He is confident Nanning will be retaken. He sees no sign of change in the Russian attitude of assistance to China. He expressed great desire to receive indications confirming or refuting report that has reached him that Great Britain and France are urging the United States to conclude new commercial treaty with Japan, their object being to save their Far Eastern possessions from possible threat. Likewise [he] thinks it possible that Japanese concentration in the south implies such threat. The only nation in whose unalterable attitude of assistance to China he believes is our own. He spoke of current negotiations for a new American loan and asked me to convey to the Secretary of State his hope of its early conclusion since he was confident that if this fact were announced the enemy would at once abandon Wang Ching-wei³⁵ schemes and also their military offensive. I consented to transmit message but made no comment since I knew nothing about the reported negotiations.

Repeated to Peiping.

Peck

32. Ibid., p. 720.
33. President Roosevelt’s answer (quoted in Department’s telegram No. 245, ibid., p. 720) to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s telegram of December 19, 1939, ibid., p. 717.
34. President Roosevelt’s answer (ibid., p. 714) to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s letter of July 20, 1939, ibid., p. 687.
35. Chinese Vice Minister of Information.
35. Former deputy leader of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) at Chungking, at the time negotiating with Japanese representatives to set up a regime in occupied China.