President Roosevelt to the President of the Chinese Executive Titan (Chiang Kai-shek)9
My Dear Generalissimo: I take great pleasure in introducing to you Mr. Owen Lattimore. I have the highest opinion of his capabilities and I know that he is intimate with and in complete accord with my basic political attitudes. I trust that you will find his advice helpful. I fully appreciate, as does he, that while serving as your political adviser he will be working solely in China’s interests and that his complete loyalty will be to you.
It has taken some time to work up a comprehensive and detailed lease-lend aid program for China and to fit it in with our own and the British programs. The Chinese program is now taking shape, however, and you can count upon steadily increasing shipments of the major items of your requirements. In the meantime I am hopeful that the various measures already taken by our Governments will result in greatly increased carrying capacity on the Burma Road.
Mrs. Roosevelt joins me in extending to you and Madame Chiang our heartiest wishes for your personal health and prosperity.
Yours sincerely,
- Photostatic copy obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N. Y. Original delivered by hand of Owen Lattimore on arrival at Chungking in July.↩