Wednesday, 19 May

I invited the British Charge d’Affaires, Baggalay, to the Chinese Embassy because he will leave Kuibyshev tomorrow. As I haven’t invited him first, it was not appropriate for the Diplomatic Corps to invite him, but he would leave soon, so I invited him to the Chinese Embassy. But Ambassador Shao’s furniture is still in Moscow, there is no sofa in the Embassy. It is so empty here. So I had no choice but to use Chinese paintings to decorate a room to be a dining room. I must say I felt rather ashamed. The Servants’ service was also bad. In the future if we need to dispatch diplomats we should think carefully. Today the British Prime Minister Churchill made a report in the House of Commons and the Senate in the United States. I heard the full text on the radio. It was in relation to Japan and he talked of having a conference together with the Generalissimo and Stalin in the future. It was really the best comment he has ever made since the war.