740.0011 PW/8–1844
The Consul General at Kunming (Langdon) to the
Ambassador in China (Gauss)57
No. 35
Kunming, August 18,
1944.
Sir: I have the honor to enclose a copy of a
memorandum of conversation, dated August 17, 1944, reporting observations
regarding the present military situation in China made by General Lung Yun,
Chairman of the Yunnan Provincial Government, to Dr. Irving Friedman, United
States Treasury representative, and me during our call on the Chairman.
The call, which was arranged through the Special Delegate for Foreign Affairs
at Kunming, was made for the purpose of presenting Dr. Friedman to General
Lung as a gesture of courtesy and as a means of obtaining his assistance in
Dr. Friedman’s establishment of contacts with the provincial financial
authorities.
After an exchange of the usual courtesies and an explanation of the purpose
of Dr. Friedman’s visit to Kunming, during which General Lung displayed
interest in the volume of American aid to China, I asked the Chairman his
view of the progress of the war in China. This question was the occasion for
an extremely frank and forthright statement by General Lung, a statement
critical of the Central Government and indicative of his desire for direct
American military aid for his provincial forces.
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While General Lung’s appeal for American military assistance in arming Yunnan
Provincial troops was presented on the logical basis of the importance of
the Yunnan area to the war effort against Japan and of the possible Japanese
threat to this Province, it is difficult to believe that the Chairman’s
insistent appeal for American aid has as its sole or real basis the desire
to increase his military strength against a possible Japanese drive against
Yunnan. He was openly critical of the Central Government military weaknesses
and undoubtedly magnified the fighting qualities of his own troops. It is,
however, true that Yunnan Provincial forces are better fed and clothed than
the Central Government armies. The views expressed by General Lung rather
point to his strong opposition to the Central Government’s policies and his
desire to make his own military position vis-à-vis the Central Government
stronger. These views represent two possible motives in addition to the
professed one of provisional security from Japanese attack: (1) the desire
to strengthen his military forces to such a point that his post-war position
can be more easily maintained against possible encroachments by the Central
Government; and (2) the desire to increase his military strength as a part
of any coalition movement likely to emerge against the Central
Government.
In any event, the views expressed by General Lung reveal him as anything but
a strong, whole-hearted supporter of the Central Government and rather
indicate that his primary aim is to maintain his own supremacy in Yunnan
Province against the Central Government. Given the Chairman’s native
shrewdness, it is likely that the first objective is the more important one
and that the second may follow if he considers such action advantageous to
his own position. He would be likely to take such action only if he felt
assured of success.
An extra copy of this memorandum is being enclosed for possible transmission
to General Stilwell as it is felt that General Lung’s views, especially on
the threat to Yunnan, would be of considerable interest to the American
military authorities and deserve appropriate attention.
Respectfully yours,
[Enclosure—Extract]
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Consul General at
Kunming (Langdon)
[Kunming, August 17, 1944.]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mr. Langdon asked what news General Lung had of the progress of the war.
After a pause for reflection, General Lung expressed the view that the
situation was dangerous because the Japanese, with their sea defences
gone, must fall back upon a land defense and secure for themselves
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in China all strategic
approaches to Japan. Yunnan was the most strategic area, the General
went on, because it is both the main base of the American war effort
against Japan from China and the center of the air and later land supply
route to China, and therefore would inevitably be attacked before long
from Indo-China. The southern Yunnan border west of the Yunnan–Indochina
Railway, the General continued, is defended by Yunnan provincial troops,
who get no equipment or training from America, while the border to the
east is guarded by Central Government troops. Why does the United
States, General Lung asked, supply no equipment or training whatever to
the provincial troops, on whose shoulders will fall the main burden of
defending the province and the American installations and war operations
in it. Mr. Langdon replied that this seemed to be a military question
which he was not competent to answer. But, asked Mr. Langdon, was the
General talking only of defending Yunnan or had he in mind taking the
initiative away from the Japanese should his troops receive American
equipment and training. General Lung did not reply to this question but
went on to praise Yunnan troops, who were recruited from farm and
mountain and were renowned for their fine physique, hardiness and
fighting qualities, and to wonder why we chose to equip and train only
the ill-fed, wasted and feeble troops of the Central Government. Would
not Mr. Langdon, the General continued, explain the situation to the
American Government so that something might be done to equip and train
the provincial troops. Mr. Langdon replied that he thought the American
authorities in China already knew the situation very well through their
many representatives and observers on the spot, but Lend-Lease
agreements were made with national governments and national governments
distributed Lend-Lease equipment as they thought fit among the armed
forces of the country. Obviously, Mr. Langdon continued, the United
States could not by-pass the national government and deliver Lend-Lease
directly to the southwest or northwest or other regional forces without
giving the national government the gravest offense. General Lung
retorted that Yunnan provincial troops also were national troops, having
fought the Japanese in Shantung, Kiangsi and other provinces and having
fought for national issues, like the suppression of Yuan Shihk’ai’s
monarchical movement in 1915, ever since the Revolution. However, the
General went on, they were not Kuomintang troops and not serving any
political party, also were not led by Whampoa Academy officers, as
Central Government troops were. Central Government troops got priority
in everything, the General added.
Mr. Langdon at this point said that the United States had only one
purpose in mind in its Lend-Lease program for China: the quick defeat of
Japan; that this program envisaged military aid to all of
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China; and that if the
American purpose of defeating Japan as early as possible was not being
attained by its present policies, it would be natural that we would
consider other courses. General Lung then said that there was no time
for the trial and error method because of the evident need of the
Japanese to attack Yunnan from the south after the end of the monsoon.
He too, the General continued, wanted to end the war as soon as
possible, and for this reason was urging the rearming of the provincial
troops along the southern border. While setbacks in other provinces of
China would not have such serious consequences to the Allied war effort,
the loss of Yunnan would be irremediable and would prolong the war very
greatly, he said.
General Lung again dwelt upon the fine qualities of the Yunnan provincial
troops. He said that there was a saying in Yunnan that one Yunnan
soldier is worth any five soldiers from other provinces, and expressed
the belief that with American equipment and fighting shoulder to
shoulder with American troops one Yunnan soldier would be worth the
Japanese equivalent of any ten other Chinese soldiers. General Lung then
begged Mr. Langdon to persuade the American Government to cause the
Yunnan troops to be equipped with American arms and to be included in
the American military instruction program. Mr. Langdon gave his opinion
that this matter ought to be taken up with the Central Government and
perhaps also with the local American commanders. General Lung replied
that he had instructed General Lu Han, Commander of the provincial
forces on the Indo-China frontier, to take up the question with the
American commander concerned and that he had sent any number of wires on
the subject to Chungking, including one the day before. Mr. Langdon
promised to report to his Government the General’s views.
Dr. Friedman commented on the recognition in Washington of the importance
of Yunnan as evidenced by his instructions to study the financial
situation on the spot in Kunming, and in this connection asked the
General for the names of provincial officials who might help him in his
inquiry. General Lung then called an aide and directed him to instruct
certain individuals to make themselves available to Dr. Friedman.
