Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–270
Minutes of Meeting Between Dr. Stuart and General Marshall at No. 5 Ning Hai Road, Nanking, September 10, 1946, 7 p.m.
| Also present: | Colonel Caughey |
General Marshall opened the meeting by stating that he was under the impression that General Chou En Lai was waiting for comments from him regarding his recent visit with the Generalissimo and that, therefore, he had prepared and already dispatched a memorandum (OSE 424—copy of which had already been given to Doctor Stuart also) on this subject.
[Page 170]Dr. Stuart stated that he had read the memorandum. He then informed General Marshall on the present status of Mr. Clubb’s proceeding to Harbin.53 Dr. Stuart said that the Communists at Executive Headquarters had disapproved this, but that General Chou intended to wire Manchuria in order to obtain clearance from the appropriate military authorities.
Dr. Stuart continued by stating that he believed General Chou was in a quandary as to what steps the Communists should next take in the negotiations. General Chou is afraid that if he takes any positive steps the Government will raise new demands, thus forcing him (General Chou) into a corner. Dr. Stuart said that in response to General Chou’s question as to what he should do, he advised General Chou that he could do one of three things: 1) Call off the meeting for the Dr. Stuart Group; 2) Go ahead with Dr. Stuart’s group; or 3) Wait until General Marshall’s return. General Chou accepted the third.
General Marshall said that shortly after his arrival in Kuling, Madam Chiang came to see him and that General Marshall told her that the Generalissimo’s generals had a sense of false power because of U. S. equipment which they had received and that in their enthusiasm over little problems such as North Kiangsu, they are putting the U. S. in a very difficult, almost untenable, position in China.
General Marshall stated that he had not seen the Generalissimo until Monday. As a result of the discussion the Generalissimo stated that the question of local administration could be referred to the State Council for resolution. This was probably the most important concession made by the Generalissimo and should, unless the Communists adopt new tactics designed to delay negotiations, permit progress in the current negotiations.
General Marshall told Dr. Stuart that the Generalissimo was upset over current reports which he had received indicating that 600 Communists had recently been dispatched to Russia for the purpose of being trained as pilots. Dr. Stuart said that he had not heard anything about those reports, but mentioned that he had heard of reports indicating that Russian advisors had recently established themselves in the vicinity of Kalgan for the purpose of assisting Chinese Communists in various activities.
A general discussion ensued in which General Marshall and Dr. Stuart agreed to the extreme importance of getting Dr. Stuart’s small group into operation.