Office of the Historian

123 Service, John S.: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State

Chungking, October 24, 1944—8 a.m.
[Received 11:53 a.m.]

1722. Secretary John Service arrived here last evening from Yenan under instructions [from] Stilwell’s Headquarters to proceed to Washington for temporary duty War Department in connection military affairs this theater. He leaves this morning for Washington under number one priority. Secretaries Davies and Emmerson42 left here Sunday morning for Yenan under orders Stilwell. These movements made without prior consultation with or notification to Embassy but officers named reported to me in person before departure. Service not informed of reason for his transfer to Washington.

Embassy has reason to believe that some of our Army officers and perhaps Stilwell favor direct aid to Chinese Communist forces and that object in having Service proceed to Washington has to do with some such proposal. Stilwell called on me last Saturday before his departure for Washington but did not mention the subject. While it still remains an official secret, it seems to be quite well known here in Chinese circles that Stilwell is being replaced in this theater upon insistence of President Chiang.43

Gauss
  1. John Paton Davies, Jr., and John K. Emmerson, Second Secretaries of Embassy in China, on detail to General Stilwell’s Headquarters.↩
  2. See letter from the Ambassador in China, September 28, p. 256.↩