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Changchun is held by the First Army, perhaps the best of all the Chinese Government armies. It was trained, clothed and equipped in Burma by General Stilwell. . . . But behind their gallant appearance there is little of the strength they had under American command. They have only American equipment. They have been using it ever since they fought beside our men in Burma. It is worn out. . . . Their rifles have been used so much that they will no longer shoot straight. . . . They have excellent American artillery but are so short of ammunition that they cannot fire a single practice shot. Their trucks are for the most part broken down and, as we did not carry out our contract to deliver spare parts, they cannot repair them. They have not a single airplane even for reconnaissance since we did not carry out our promise to put through the Eight and One Third Air Group program. By persuading the Chinese Government to adopt American equipment and then refusing ammunition, we have put these soldiers on the end of a very long limb. ... If Manchuria should be abandoned to the Communists or should fall into their hands by conquest, a course of events fatal to China would follow.
"People's Republic of Manchuria"
It is not difficult to foresee that the Communists would at once proclaim the "independence" of a "People's Republic of Manchuria," or that this "republic" would soon be recognized by the "Independent People's Republic of Outer Mongolia," which is entirely controlled by the Soviet Government, and that the two "independent republics" would then enter into a mutual-assistance pact. And it is not difficult to imagine that the Chinese ambassador in Moscow would then be summoned by Molotov and politely reminded that the Soviet Union has a mutual-assistance pact with the "People's Republic of Outer Mongolia." Therefore if the Chinese Government should attempt by arms to regain its province of Manchuria, and Outer Mongolia should go to the assistance of the "People's Republic of Manchuria," the Soviet Union under its pact with Outer Mongolia regretfully would be obliged to use force to prevent the Chinese Government from inflicting injury on the forces of Outer Mongolia . . . the Chinese Government would be forbidden to attempt to recover its province of Manchuria.
The urgent need of the government armies in Manchuria for ammunition and spare parts to use in their American arms and equipment is one which cannot be filled in a leisurely manner. It requires immediate action. President Truman should act at once as President Roosevelt acted after Dunkirk, when the British and French were desperately short of munitions. President Roosevelt then had certain stocks of the U.S. Army declared no longer essential for use by the Army. They could then legally be sold, and vast quantities were sold to Great Britain at approximately 10¢ on the dollar. We have hundreds of thousands of tons of such stocks today, rotting and rusting throughout the world. . . . Such of those stocks as can be used in Manchuria should be released immediately and sold to China and their transport rushed.
President Can Act