Sunday, 9 November

Ambassador Gu Weijun sent a cablegram, reporting his talk with the Ministry of Propaganda.  According to a close fellow of Churchill, (it was rumoured he was his illegitimate son) said that as for Britain and the United States joining force to fight against Japan, it was because preparation took time so it was therefore inappropriate to arouse conflict. If Japan started the war first, Britain and the United States would certainly follow.

Xu Mo reported that on the seventh of this month that he met with Duff Cooper. The main content was as follows:

1) If our enemy invaded Yunnan, he did not think that Britain would start a war against Japan. But for airplanes and other assistance Britain could help. He even thought that Britain could lend pilots to China.

2) If Japan invaded the Soviet Union, British public opinion could not be ignored.

3) If Britain fought against Japan, the United States would certainly cooperate.

4) The British Ambassador to Japan reported that Japan still seemed to want to prevent the war from breaking out. But it had to save its dignity.

Xie Baoqiao, Zheng Baifeng (鄭白峰) and I, had supper at Wang Chonghui’s. After dinner we went to the Weiyi movie house to watch Janette McDonald’s Broadway Serenade. The singing was fine but the plot was just a common theme. The audio sound of the movie house was poor and the seats were very uncomfortable. I met Ma Xiuzhong with her elder brother. She looked haggard. Probably she has not been getting on very well recently. Worry really hurts.