Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, The Conferences at Cairo and Tehran, 1943

Defense Files¹

Memorandum by Generalissimo Chiang’s Chief of Staff (Stilwell)

secret

[Chungking (?), November 1943.²]

Memorandum:

His Excellency, Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek.

Proposals for Coming Conference

The Generalissimo’s program is to bring up to effective strength, equip, and train 90 combat divisions, in 3 groups of thirty each, and 1 or 2 armored divisions.

1. The first group consists of the divisions in India, and those assigned to the Y-force³ in Yunnan province. These divisions should be at full strength by January 1, and by that date satisfactorily equipped with small arms—(rifles, light and heavy machine guns, 60 mm and 82 [81] mm mortars, Boys rifles, Tommy guns, Bazookas, and five battalions of 75 mm howitzers,) ammunition for four months of operations, and radio sets to include battalions. Medical service and truck and animal transport will be sufficient to support the operations contemplated. Training is progressing satisfactorily. About 200 American instructors are with the unit schools, which are set up in all divisions. The courses are for weapons and tactics of small units.

2. The second group of 30 divisions has been designated and a school has been set up which takes in 200 infantry officers a week for a 6-week course. Courses are also run for Medical, Veterinary, Engineer and Signal troops. Upon graduation these officers return to their units and set up unit schools. It is planned to put 6,000 officers through the courses by May of 1944. By that time, this group of divisions should be at full strength, and fairly well trained. With a road to India open, they should be re-equipped and ready for the field in August of 1944.

3. A similar process will be followed with the third group of 30 divisions with target date of January 1, 1945. After the reopening of communications through Burma, 1 or 2 armored divisions will be organized.

4. All resources available in China will be used to produce effective combat units. Trained men of existing units will be made available as fillers.

5. China will participat[e] according to the agreed plan in the recapture of Burma by attacks from Ledo with the X-force⁴ and from Paoshan with the Yunnan force. This operation will be supported by naval action in the Bay of Bengal. Before the operation, British naval forces should be concentrated in time and fully prepared for action.

6. The training program will be followed and intensified.

7. Necessary airfields will be built and maintained.

8. In the event that communications are reopened through Burma and necessary equipment is supplied, an operation will be conducted to seize the Canton-Hongkong area and open communication by sea.

The Generalissimo expects that:

1. Before the 1944 rainy season an all-out effort will be made by the Allies to re-open communications through Burma to China, using land, air, and naval forces.

2. The U. S. A. will supply the equipment for the three groups of 30 divisions, and the armored divisions.

3. The Fourteenth U. S. Air Force will be maintained as agreed and supplied sufficiently to allow of sustained operations.

4. The Chinese Air Force will be built up promptly to 2 groups of fighters, 1 group of medium bombers, 1 reconnaissance squadron, and 1 transport squadron, and maintained at that strength. By August of 1944 a third group of fighters, and a group of heavy bombardment will be added and maintained thereafter.

5. Following the seizure of the Canton-Hongkong area, the U. S. will put 10 infantry divisions, 3 armored divisions and appropriate auxiliary units into South China for operations against Central and North China. Contingent upon this allocation of troops, the Generalissimo will appoint American command of those units of the combined U. S. Chinese forces which are designated in the order of battle, under his general direction.

6. The U. S. will, at the earliest practicable time, put long-range bombing units in China to operate against the Japanese mainland.

7. The ferry route will be maintained at a capacity of at least 10,000 tons a month.

8. Training personnel will be supplied as required.

9. Medical personnel will be supplied for the second and third groups of divisions.

For the Generalissimo,

Joseph W. Stilwell

Joint Chief of Staff for Generalissimo.

1. The Army copy is apparently derived from the Stilwell Papers in the library of the Hoover Institution, Stanford, California. See Stilwell’s Command Problems, p. 57.
2. This paper was apparently prepared after Chiang had asked Stilwell, at Chungking on November 6, 1943, “to make the report for China at Cairo” (quoted from Chiang’s request as given in The Stilwell Papers, p. 237).
3. A group of American-sponsored Chinese divisions.
4. Chinese Army in India.