Friday, 12 September

At seven-thirty in the morning I went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The American Ambassador had forwarded an article of the United States Department of State. In it, it said that in the America-Japan negotiations, the United States would not abandon its original stance. Yesterday, Generalissimo Chiang talked to United Press International reporters, saying that China would continue the bloody War of Resistance.  Before there can be peace in the Far East, world justice must be safeguarded. He also hoped, and believed that, during the bloody resistance war, the United States and other friendly nations, would, in the future strengthen the economic sanctions to Japan, and would be determined not to loosen them. This should be the consensus of the anti-aggression countries in the Pacific.

Wang Chonghui invited us to supper at the Shanghai Restaurant to bid farewell to Qi Zhi (齊致). After, Wang Chonghui invited me to his home to talk. He also thought that the Generalissimo’s speech might have a bad influence on the American Government. This was because such opinion should be conveyed through diplomatic channels, or confidentially directly to Roosevelt. Chiang made a speech but without informing Roosevelt, seeming as if in order to use the United States’ and the world’s public opinion to pressure him. Also on the Chinese side, with regard to America-Japan negotiations, people are extremely fearful that the United States will betray China, to demand that Japan leave the Axis. We certainly believe that there is no such thing. But the fear outside is unavoidable. Now that the Generalissimo has spoken in such a way this will make people even more fearful. Wang’s observations were the same as mine:

1) Britain and the United States absolutely do not want to see the end of the Sino-Japanese war right now, as they fear that if the Japanese army is not occupied in the Sino-Japanese war, and could therefore be freely transferred, then the threatening power of Japan to Britain, United States and the Soviet Union will become greater, and they will be unable to deal with it.

2) Britain and the United States are trying their best to avoid conflict with Japan, but they are unwilling to see Japan advance further.

3) Under these two principles, Britain and the United States want a method that can meet both ends, it happens also that the Japanese side is also in extreme difficulty and does not want to be in conflict with Britain and the United States. Therefore, the result of the America-Japan negotiations will end by making slight concessions on both sides, but it absolutely will not go so far as to solve the Sino-Japanese problem.