Wednesday, 13 February

I studied Italian on my own.

In the afternoon, Yu Junji came to bid us goodbye. He came with his American girlfriend. The girl was young and pretty, saying they would visit Italy for several days before returning to the United States.

Chengyong came to talk to me. He said the business of Shanglong restaurant has been quite good.

Britain suggested to the United States that it wanted to ask the United Nations to investigate the matter of Kuomintang armies staying in Burma. The United States declined in firm language. It said that it was a matter for Burma. If the issue needed to be raised, it should be done by Burma herself. The United Stated could not do anything on its behalf. British diplomacy is really not as competent as in the past.

The American presidential candidate, Howard Taft, declared that the only way to stop Stalin from acquiring Asia was to help Chiang Kai-shek fight back in China. Now Chiang’s army had six hundred thousand soldiers and China had guerrillas too, therefore the United States did not need to further dispatch an army to China. If it did not go this way, after the fall of Asia, the United States would be in jeopardy. He also said that if he were elected, he would dismiss the current military leaders and would use General MacArthur. Therefore, if a Republican is elected, there might be change in American policy towards the Kuomintang government.