CO129-619-1 Parliamentary delegation to China 1-9-1947 - 23-12-1947 — Page 125

CONFIDENTIAL

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6.

United States Interest in China.

1. American ascendancy in China developed during

the war, when it was agreed by the Combined Chiefs of

Staff that China inust fall within the United States

sphore of strategic influence. Between March 1941 and

the end of April, 1945 the United States supplied war

materials to China under Lend-Lease to the value of

U.S.X458,874,000. America also undertook an extensive

programme of training and equipment of the Chinese

army, and the mobilisation of China's economy on a war

basis.

2. American influence in China has been

maintained since the end of the war.

Factors

contributing to this have been American assistance in

the disarming, demobilisation and evacuation of

Japanese troops on Chinese soil, in the transportation

of Chinese troops to take over the liberated areas

of China, and in the stationing of United States marinos

in north China, without which that area must inevitably

have come under Chinese Communist control and led to an

intensification of civil strife. America has also,

since the end of the war, supplied economic, financial

and agricultural advisers to China.

3. At the end of the war the American Secretary

of State for War stated that, in so far as his country

was concerned, the military problem in China was

confined to "the completion of the surrender,

disarmament and evacuation of Japanese forces. The

United States troops in China will not be used for the

suppression of civil strifo."

/ 44.