Tuesday, 23 September
In the morning, I examined the personnel achievements for the embassies and consulates in the 29th Year (1940). As for personnel affairs I find it very difficult. I believe that I can manage affairs as well as others but for this it was really very difficult.
At 5.00 p.m. the Soviet Ambassador to China, Panyushkin, came to visit me at the hostel with his Chinese secretary, F. Fedoreuko. I have known Panyushkin for a long time. He visited me because I have taken the new post, so as a convention he was forced to visit me. We talked for over an hour, quite a long time. Section Chief Zou Shangyou (鄒尚友) acted as the translator:
1) He mentioned that with regard to the printing of the war situation of the Soviet Union in his Embassy, our side had raised this issue with him. I said since he also said that the Chinese Embassy could do the same in Moscow, this was perfectly fine. I also told him that the relationship between China and the Soviet Union was very close, and so for this type of issue if he could communicate and decide with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs beforehand it would be perfectly okay. He said he would do so accordingly in the future.
2) I asked him about the war situation between the Soviet Union and Germany. He said militarily speaking the Soviet Union was, for the time being, at a disadvantage, but as the bitter winter was coming, German transportation would be under threat from the Soviet guerrillas. Also, recently the casualties on the German side had exceeded two and a half million. Although the Soviet casualties were also serious, the training for manpower and people in the Soviet Union are stronger than those in Germany. After this, the Soviet Union would arrive at a more advantageous situation.
3) He said that the reason why the Far Eastern army in the Soviet Union had still not been dispatched to the West Line was that it was still on watch towards Japan.
4) He asked me if during the America-Japan negotiation there had been gossip that China and Japan would have separate peace negotiations. He asked me what was actually going on. I replied that there was no such thing. We strongly believe that the United States will absolutely not betray us. Particularly as the American Government is under the leadership of President Roosevelt, and it would not abandon the ideology it supported and its stance. As for China, the Generalissimo had declared that it would never come into conciliation with Japan. I also told him that such gossip was forged by a certain party which always held the attitude of opposing our Government. It took advantage of the America-Japan negotiations to create gossip, saying that we would surrender to Japan or join with Wang Jingwei’s puppet government, and so on. I hoped that he would not believe such vengeful propaganda. He said he did not believe it either.
He talked with me until 6.15 p.m. and left happily.
At 6.30 Minister Guo Taiji came to talk with me and left at 7.30. According to Nanjing enemy news broadcast on the twelfth of this month, Nanjing appointed Zhang Guoyuan (張國元) as the committee member of the puppet government. I discussed with Wu Shangying in Dushiqiao yesterday that we cable Sun Fo, petitioning him to dismiss Zhang from the post of committee member of the Legislative Yuan. This morning I received a call from Wu Tiechang and he confirmed that Zhang Guoyuan really did collaborate with the puppet government. Since he could not tolerate poverty he had to defect to the puppet government.