793.94/3471: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 11—2:50 a.m.]
49. Following from Consul General at Nanking:
“January 9, 4 p.m. In compliance with the desire of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ingram and I had a long talk with him today in the course of which Chen gave us a confidential, complete and very frank explanation of the predicament of the National Government. Synopsis of his statement follows:
Sun Fo left Nanking for Shanghai January 8, 11 p.m., and may not return. The principal reason of his departure is the refusal of important members of the party and the Government to take up their posts, owing to their fear that the Government will not be able to solve the Japanese controversy in a way to meet popular sentiment and their knowledge that failure will subject them to violent attack. It is the sincere conviction of Chen that no National Government which fails to eject Japan from the occupied areas or at least to take positive steps to that end can henceforth survive in China. The decision to sever diplomatic relations with Japan was occasioned by this feeling and by a hope that effective third-party intervention might be brought about. Chinese leaders here seem to feel unanimously that China must suffer diplomatic distresses if faced with Japan alone. Chen admitted that under the new system if Sun Fo resigns all other members of the Government must likewise go. He predicts that Chiang Kai-shek would be unable to form and maintain another government and that the disintegration of the National Government will necessarily result in a dangerous spread of communist power. He says local military leaders will be unable to stem this tide because the troops have been [Page 21] influenced by communism and are behind in their pay and rebellious. Ingram is making report of the same tenor.
The Minister of Railways informs me that Sun Fo went to Shanghai to persuade Wang Ching-wei to take up duties in the Government and will go to home of Chiang Kai-shek for the same purpose. This information attributed predicament of the Government half to Japanese invasion and half to lack of cooperation from Chiang and others.”