893.00/4–3046
Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Vincent) of a Conversation With the Chinese Ambassador (Wei)
Ambassador Wei called at his own request. He seemed to have nothing in particular on his mind except the desire to discuss the situation in China. The sum and substance of our long conversation was that Wei felt (1) that Chiang Kai-shek would not, as a result of the temporary failure of negotiations over Manchuria, resort to military force to bring about a solution; (2) that Chiang was under strong pressure from the conservative Kuomintang elements to resist any further concessions to the Communists; and (3) that a cooling-off period devoted to discussion might bring about a peaceful solution. However, Wei was pessimistic that any solution between the Communists and the Kuomintang would be lasting. He had considerable to say regarding the undesirable, and quite obvious, fact that Chinese Communist predominance in northern Manchuria would have a most unwelcome influence on Chinese-Russian relations. He didn’t seem to think there was much chance of success for my suggestion that the National Government endeavor to wean the old Manchurian politico-military element away from the Communists by making some concessions to their desire for a restoration of their former position in Manchuria.
[Page 807]Wei discussed the FEC36 in relation to reparations problems along lines of our previous conversations. I showed him a copy of the recent reply from the Soviet Government in regard to removal of Manchurian industries.37
- Far Eastern Commission.↩
- Telegram No. 1307, April 23, 7 p.m., from the Ambassador in the Soviet Union, vol. x, p. 1122.↩