CO129-591-14 Military Administration- liaison with Chinese and American forces 11-4-1945 - 25-7-1945 — Page 88

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presumably remain in Chungking until a suitable now Gapital in Eastern China is libcrated, It may ovon be that Chinese G. H. Q. will find itself some hundreds of miles from the seat of Government. If this should occur it will be highly desirable and indeed essential for British military liaison with the advancing armies to be maintained. The military attacho as the Ambassador's military adviser will have to remain with the Embassy. G. Q. C., B. M. H. must clearly become chief liaison officer with Chinese G. H. Q. and the Mission be staffed accordingly."

2. While I have no information what the Chinese plans for the control of any offensive in this theatre may be, I agree that General Hayes' appreciation above is probably correct. If so, it will clearly be desirable that British military personnel, suitably qualified for the ends in view, should move forward with the occupying forces if and as an offensive is launched from the interior of China or, in any case, as the Japanese withdraw. The operational role of British forces in the China theatre at present is very small and, while various possibilitics by which the prosent British Military Mission and other British organisations may play a greater part in China's war are now under study, I have no knowledge of any prosent plan which would cover the functions performable by a liaison mission with Chinese General Headquarters. My fooling is that such a mission should in fact constitute an expansion of the present British Military Mission, built around the nucleus which this mission has already established in China.

3. I imagine that those matters have been under con- ŝideration in London, but soon from here it would appear that the time has arrived for us to take some positive step to cover our requirements and to place before the Chinese and American military authoritics in this theatre some definito proposals. It may morcover be useful to you to have before you the suggestions of British military and civilian observers in Chungking as to the possible functions and composition of any such mission which His Majesty's Government may wish to appoint. This despatch and my telegram No. 379 of April 17th were therefore drafted after discussions in which not only the members of my staff but also General Carton dc Wiart and the General Officer Commanding the British Military Mission have taken part, and it represents a general statement of our joint views.

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4. As we see it a liaison mission with Chinese General Headquarters should include among its functions the following activities:-

(a) Liaison with the Commander-in-Chief in the field;

(b) the provision to all British authorities concerned of

day-to-day information as to the progress of the war in the China theatre;

(c) the care of the interests of British personnel

integrated into the China Combat Command - one of the "various possibilitics" mentioned in paragraph 2 above;

(a)/