793.94/3437: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 7—10:20 a.m.]
33. Following from American Consul General at Harbin:
“January 6, noon. 1. General Ma is now at Sungpuchen, southern terminus of the Hu-Hai Railway, opposite Harbin on the left bank of the Sungari River, ostensibly to consult with General Chang Ching-hui, who the local press reports will proceed today to Tsitsihar to inspect conditions there. It is possible but not probable that General Ma will accompany him to Tsitsihar.
2. Now that the Chinese forces have been eliminated from Chinchow, General Ma and his troops are the only so-called regular forces in Manchuria stations opposed to the Japanese. Unless Ma receives support from Soviet Russia which appears unlikely he will not be in a position to resist Japanese demands.”