793.94/16951
The Military Attaché in China (Mayer) to the War Department 44
The attack at Ichang was part of a general Chinese offensive, planned to use all troops in the V and VI War Zones to drive the Japanese east of the Han River and establish a defensive line along that river. Chinese would have numerical superiority, including artillery. The attack developed successfully and Chinese morale was high, but Chungking suddenly called off the entire operation and in spite of protests by their commanders, troops were ordered back to their previous positions. Apparently, political reasons accounted for this unexpected action: (1) the Chinese hope that the Japanese will start operations against the Russians in the Far East if the Soviet defense weakens in the west; (2) the Chinese wanted to wait and see the outcome of the U. S.-Japanese conferences.45 Military reason: fear that the Japanese would shift rapidly from the Changsha area and strike vulnerable Chinese concentrations. In any event, the Chinese offensive is practically over. The Russians, from whom this story comes, were greatly disappointed at the outcome. They undoubtedly planned the operation and probably had advisers with front line troops. Their main interest, of course, is in seeing that the largest possible numbers of Japanese are contained in China.
- Code radiogram received by the War Department on October 16, 12:58 a.m.; paraphrase transmitted to the Department of State, October 18.↩
- See vol. iv, pp. 1 ff.↩