839.20 Mission/9–245
The Secretary of State to the President
Memorandum for the President
Re: Chinese matters arising out of conversations with T. V. Soong.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Lend-Lease Military Equipment.
T. V. Soong inquires whether we are prepared to complete our commitment to equip 100 Chinese divisions? This commitment is said to have been made to Chiang by President Roosevelt at Cairo. The commitment apparently is not in writing. Mr. Hopkins affirms that some such commitment was made at Cairo when action in the Chinese theatre was agreed upon, and apparently after Teheran, Chiang, who was disturbed by the postponement at Teheran of the action planned for the Chinese theatre, was assured that the commitment would be kept. The form of the commitment apparently was vague and loose. While no one anticipated the Japanese war would end so quickly, it is hard to believe that the parties believed the commitment to be wholly independent of the Japanese war. Certainly both Roosevelt and Chiang must have been thinking of Chinese troops to fight the Japs. And it is difficult to treat our Chinese commitments [Page 890] different from other commitments under the Lend-Lease Act.1
So far as I can ascertain about 30 divisions have already been equipped under our commitment to Chiang. Soong speaks of 60 additional divisions to be equipped.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- Act of March 11, 1941 (55 Stat. 31), as extended by the Act of April 16, 1945 (59 Stat. 52).↩