Tuesday, 2 February

Twenty-eighth day of the twelth lunar month

The Deputy Director of the Northwest Highway Niu Zequan (Buyun) (鈕澤全) came to talk about transportation in northwest China. He urged me not to use the Xinjiang highway now. He said there was nothing useful to see, and it would be a hard journey, also there could be delays on the road. Afterwards I talked to Wang Chonghui, he was also opposed. He said if the journey was delayed, the Soviet Union might assume I was not in a hurry to take up my post, did not see the importance of the job and looked down upon the Soviet Union. The inference would be very bad. What he said was right. I then decided to follow my original plan and not change it.

I went to Party Headquarters to bid farewell to everyone. Only Di Junwu (狄君武)[1] was there. I asked him to relay my greetings to everyone. Then I went to Mr. Shao Lizi’s to talk to him. Again, we talked about the Sino-Soviet relationship for about an hour.

In the afternoon I went to see Chief-of-Staff He Yingqin (何應欽)[2] to say goodbye, and we talked about the Sino-Soviet relationship. He kept talking about the illegal activities of the CCP but said he didn’t want to use CCP matters to affect the friendship between China and the Soviet Union. I urged him to relay to the Generalissimo that with regard to trivial diplomatic matters we could give in, but we should insist on big issues, as recently the diplomatic situation could change rapidly, and we had to be very careful. He agreed with me and immediately asked his secretary to prepare a speech with regard to the recent Soviet military victories. He also told me the Generalissimo summoned him to see him two days ago, telling him that as the new Sino-British treaty was now signed, we should improve the Sino-British relationship and change our anti-British attitude. As a matter of fact, he himself was not anti-British. He would convey these words to the Military Committee members and therefore I could depart without worry. He also said Madame Chiang (宋美齡)[3] had the possibility of visiting Britain. I told him that the Generalissimo reckoned the Japanese would not view as a loss the defeat of Germany, so she would soon definitely attack the Soviet Union. He then said and we ought to visit the Soviet Union at the same time.

In the evening Minister Zhang Doufan (張道藩)[4] organised a farewell banquet in the Department of Central Propaganda. Deputy Minister Hu was not satisfied with the work done by the intelligence section.

[1] Di Junwu (1895-1964) was a politician.

[2] He Yingqin (1890-1987) was a close associate of Chiang Kai-shek.

[3] Madame Chiang May-ling Song (1897-2003).

[4] Zhang Daofan (1897-1968) was a politician and had studied art in London.