711.93/4–1047: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 10—1 p.m.]
782. Statement issued by spokesman of Ministry of Information night of 9th refuting Tass despatch quoting Pravda concerning U. S. military assistance to China:
“On April 7th [6] Pravda, a Moscow publication, printed a Tass agency dispatch purporting to review U. S. military assistance to the Chinese Government which contained nothing but fabrications.
The article is so far from the truth that without undertaking to answer all of its misstatements, I deem it sufficient to point out some of the most glaring untruths.
The article charged that since the surrender of Japan, Americans have trained and equipped 40 ‘Kuomintang divisions’ and 50,000 ‘Kuomintang police troops’; that U. S. military advisors have established 27 military training schools; that Americans have ‘separated the port of Tsingtao from China’ and established ‘strong U. S. air bases’ near almost all the large cities.
In the first place there are no such things as Kuomintang divisions or Kuomintang police troops. The only political party with an army in China is the Chinese Communist Party.
During the war the U. S. trained 36 divisions of Chinese troops, numbering less than 400,000 men. Of this total 6 which were trained in India were totally equipped by the U. S. The remaining 30 divisions, trained in China, were partially equipped by the U. S. and largely by Chinese manufactured arms. These troops were all organized for the counteroffensive against Japan. Some of them took part in the fighting in Burma and elsewhere, and the American equipment was all delivered before the surrender of Japan. At present, there are less than 36 divisions of these troops, due to the demobilization and reorganization of the Chinese Army.
Since the surrender there has been no training of Chinese troops by the U. S. Nor have any new military schools been established. Furthermore, there has been no training of police by the U. S. in China.
Chinese Government personnel work without external obstruction in [apparent omission].
No U. S. airbases have been established in China during the war. There was joint U. S.-Chinese use of several bases for air operations against Japan. After the war the Americans rapidly evacuated these airports, starting with those in western China. Some of them continued to be temporarily used by U. S. planes to help implement the repatriation of the Japanese and the reoccupation of Chinese territory. They were even used in connection with the transportation of [Page 96] Chinese Communist personnel during and after General Marshall’s mediation.
Everything the U. S. did in China during the war was in accordance with the joint strategy of the Allies, and American actions then and since at no time infringed Chinese sovereignty. The Pravda article makes a total distortion of facts which are openly spread on the record before all nations.”
Please repeat Moscow as 9.