Monday, 22 April
Fine
I rose at 8:30 a.m.
At 9:30 a.m., Legislative member, Chen Haicheng (陳海澄) came over to discuss with me the latest situation of the Legislative Yuan, as well as various aspects of the Nationalist Government since its move to Taiwan. Many things he told me could be taken as reference.
Ambassadors, Liu Kai, and Wen Yuanning, arrived together to see me. I went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Liu Kai. I spoke with Deputy Minister Shen about my stay in Taipei. Afterwards I saw Minister Ye Gongchao. I told him what had happened regarding Chiang’s request that I stay in Taiwan, and what I had indicated to Secretary General Zhang Qun. Ye said that Zhang Qun had already discussed with him that he (Zhang) would like to nominate me for the position of political consultant. I said that for this type of work I am certainly more than willing to accept. My only concern is that I am not qualified. Ye replied that since Gu Weijun had taken up the post of judge to the International Court of Justice, the vacancy he had left behind should be filled, and I am the most suitable candidate. Also, the salary and benefits are quite good, and it would solve my accommodation problem. Ye Gongchao said that if I needed to return to Paris to settle my private matters, he could offer me the fare to travel between Taiwan and Paris. I replied that it is against my wishes to take money from the government before working for the government. Ye also said that the expenditure for living at the House of Freedom is quite high, but he could offer me a room in the hostel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I thanked him for his kindness.
Ye Gongchao invited me to have lunch at his home, and asked Liu Kai to join us. Before that, I left Ye’s office and went to Shen Changhuan’s place to chat with him. I listened to what Shen had to say about the situation in Taiwan. What he said was quite insightful. The speed of progress in the past years has been so remarkable. At 12:30 noon I went with Liu Kai and Gongchao to his home for lunch and we chatted happily. The orchid and bamboo that Ye paints, and his cursive calligraphy, are quite good. Ye said that during the handover, Li Dijun had sent away the two sets of sterling silverware from the Chinese embassy in Turkey. Gou Zengqi reported it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Li Dijun was strongly discontent about this and asked Ye to blame Gou. Ye could not do so accordingly. Ye also told us quite a lot about the matters concerning Yu Wangde (于望德) and Xie Lin1. We did not leave until 2:30 in the afternoon. Liu Kai accompanied me to my hotel and we chatted further.
The Secretary of the Overseas Community Affairs Council of the Legislative Yuan came over to speak with me. He is an old boy of the Legislative Yuan, and knows Wu Shupeng and Tianjuan quite well.
In the afternoon, the Director of Tongzhihui of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Tao Zhenyu, came. He invited me to deliver a talk. I declined, saying that I had left my diplomatic post eight years ago. With regard to the (current) Soviet condition I am not in a position now to know. As for Europe and the United States, what I know has only come from the news and newspapers, which is different from what other diplomatic envoys who have special intelligence know of. But if the comrades of Tongzhihui who are responsible for diplomacy hold a symposium which is research oriented, I would attend. He was satisfied with what I said.
At 5:30 p.m., I went with Zhongxiong to see Wang Chonghui. His spirit had improved so he could say something. Mrs. Wang said probably her husband could leave hospital in a week or two.
In the evening, President Yu Hongjun invited us for a banquet. Mr. Zhang Qun and others were present. Li Shufan was also present. Yu Hongjun told me that because he does not affiliate with any clique, his work has been so difficult in the past few years. The only thing he knows is to work hard, therefore Chiang Kai-shek treats him quite well. Also, he cares not about outcomes so he still feels good. As for dealing with the Legislative Yuan, it is completely different from the past, as it is twice a year and two months each session. He also told me that as we were old friends, if there was anything he could do to help, to please feel free to ask. What he said was so sincere that I felt deeply touched. I told him about what had happened during this trip to Taiwan, and about Chiang asking me to stay here. He agreed with what I think.
After dinner, Mr. Zhang Qun fetched me and Liu Kai and took us back to our hotels. I had coffee with Liu Kai at the ‘Friends of China’ hotel where he is staying. He told about his medical treatment in 1946 and his stay in the United States. He said he regretted never having been to Europe.2 I did not get to my hotel until 11:30 p.m.
1 One character is missing in the middle of the name “Xie Lin”.
2 Liu Kai had studied in Oxford University. What he meant is perhaps the European continent.