893.01 Inner Mongolia/30
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 6.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that the relations of the Mongol leaders of Inner Mongolia (Chahar and Suiyuan Provinces) with the Chinese authorities are increasingly unsatisfactory because of the continuing failure of the Chinese to live up to the terms of the agreement with regard to the autonomous government which was established in Inner Mongolia in April of this year.
[Page 281]The grievances of the Mongols at present are that (1) the Chinese have failed to pay to the Mongols any of the promised monthly subsidy, reported to be $50,000; (2) the Mongols are suffering so from the depredations of Chinese bandits that many have found it necessary to build defence works around their yurts; (3) the northward movement of Chinese settlers into Mongol territory reportedly continues; and (4) the Chinese treatment of Mongols as inferiors has not been remedied.
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The present situation appears to be equivalent to inviting the Mongols to throw in their lot with the Japanese who are supposed to be actively at work among the Mongols. According to information obtained from an American resident of Peiping who recently spent several days with “Duke” Larson, a Swedish national who has lived many years among the Mongols and who is believed to have their confidence, it is the opinion of “Duke” Larson that before many months the Mongols many engage in actual warfare against the Chinese because of their dissatisfaction. He believes, however, that the Mongols will probably not attempt to enlist Japanese assistance until after they begin hostilities as the Mongols feel that they will be in better position to bargain with the Japanese if they initiate hostilities by themselves.
Although it may be thought that the Chinese would not find it difficult to subdue the Mongols because of the Chinese superiority in aerial armaments, military action on the part of the Chinese would have three grave disadvantages; (1) the Chinese would be dealing with a spirited people who would probably carry on a kind of guerilla warfare difficult of suppression from the air; (2) the Chinese would, by such warfare, completely alienate the Mongols and drive them definitely over to the Japanese; and (3) Chinese military action would invite Japanese interference and invasion on the excuse of defending the boundaries of “Manchukuo” from disturbance.
Respectfully yours,