893.00/8–1944: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:35 a.m.]
1432. According to informed foreign source, Generalissimo has during past 2 weeks been holding conferences attended by high military officers with a view to reorganizing and reforming Chinese Army on [Page 148] basis of plan submitted by General Chen Cheng. Following decisions said taken at conferences: Number of group armies to be reduced and all independent divisions and brigades abolished; all army units to be maintained at full strength (in recent years some group armies have been composed of one army only and some divisions have had less than one-half prescribed roster of men); training and livelihood of troops to be improved; officers derelict of duty to be severely punished; war area commanders not to serve concurrently as provincial chairmen; 10 brigades composed of school graduates to be formed in next year. During conferences Generalissimo is said to have accused participating officers, including Ho Ying-chin, of misinforming him of actual conditions, of mishandling conscription which [is] to be removed from their hands and of money making. He is said to have promised [that] General Tang En-Po is to be severely punished and commander charged with defense of Changsha is to be given life sentence.
Embassy, including Military Attaché, has had no reports of these conferences from other sources which if actually held suggest that Generalissimo has become aware of deterioration of army and need for remedial action. Granting that Generalissimo is sincere in his desire for army reforms, we doubt whether he will be able to accomplish much in this direction at this time.