Office of the Historian

893.00/14095: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

Nanking, April 28, 1937—9 a.m.
[Received 5:45 p.m.]

183. Our 174, April 20, 3 p.m.86

1.
Executive Yuan yesterday appointed (1) Yu Hsueh Chung to be Pacification Commissioner for Kiangsu; (2) Wang Shu Chang (Vice President of Military Operation Advisory Committee, former northeastern commander who in 1931–32 was Hopei chairman and in 1933–35 was Peiping-Tientsin garrison commander) to be the Pacification Commissioner for Honan and Anhwei; (3) Ho Chu Kuo to be Deputy Director of the Generalissimo’s Sian provisional headquarters; (4) Ho Yao Tsu (Commander of Third Army at time of 1928 Tsinanfu incident, late Vice Chief of Staff, recently Minister to Turkey) to be acting Kansu chairman. The Yuan also created a new military organ called the Military Rehabilitation Committee for Honan, Anhwei, and Kiangsu to be headed by Liu Shih, Pacification Commissioner for Honan and Anhwei and including Yu Hsueh Chung and Wang Shu Chang as members.
2.
Except for disposition of Chang Hsueh Liang these actions would appear to constitute final moves in settlement of the December 1936 Sian revolt. With a former northeastern official as new Anhwei chairman and most of the Young Marshal’s former troops transferred from Shensi and Kansu to Honan and Anhwei, provision has now been made both for the support and employment of the main body of those troops under the control of the National Government with northeastern representation on the supervising organ. Effective Government control, which will probably provide for ultimate absorption of the northeastern troops, would have to have been provided for by, (1) separation of Yu Hsueh Chung from personal command of his troops, (2) separation from the main body of Ho Chu Kuo’s cavalry with Ho directly under Ku Chu Tung in the Sian headquarters, (3) appointment of a trusted adherent of Chiang Kai-shek as chairman of the new military organ to reorganize the northeastern troops transferred to Anhwei and Honan. In Shensi and Kansu Government control [Page 78] would also be well assured by developments previously reported together with yesterday’s appointment of Ho Yao Tsu. In this connection it is reported but not confirmed that Yang Hu Cheng whose troops have been moved to south central Shensi is contemplating a trip abroad.
3.
Additional reliable information we have received tends to confirm report that Chang Hsueh Liang is a prisoner at Chikow in the province of Fenghua [Chekiang].
4.
Sent to the Department; by mail to Peiping, Shanghai, Tokyo.
Johnson
  1. Not printed.↩