CO129-591-14 Military Administration- liaison with Chinese and American forces 11-4-1945 - 25-7-1945 — Page 72

M.05731/45

12th July 1945

73

跞

Dear Sterndale Bennett,

Please refer to your letter of 23rd June

concerning General Olmsted's suggestion that a British

officer should be appointed for liaison on questions

arising out of the re-occupation of Chinese territory. 13

You may like to know that Colonel Burkhardt would not be willing to take up this appointment.

2.

We have also considered the other suggestions and agree that an interdepartmental meeting would be useful. Our preliminary views are that a Naval officer should be appointed to the British Military Mission at Chinese G.".Q. for work in connection with shipping and the re-occupation of the Treaty ports.

3.

We also think that an officer should be appointed for the purpose mentioned in para. 5 of Chungking telegram No. 379, namely liaison with the seaborne invading forces. He need not necessarily be a Naval officer but would probably require a Naval assistant. It would be premature, of course to do anything more about this appointment at present, and when the time comes it had best be arranged on the spot between the Chinese and the British Cormander concerned. As, however, the question has been raised in the form of a request from U.S. Army Headquarters, it will be advisable to accept in principle now.

40

I am sending copies of this letter to the

recipients of yours.

Yours sincerely,

(8gd.) O. H. M. WALDOCK,

CHG., MC.,

J.C. Sterndale Bennett, Esq.,

Foreign Office, S.W.1.