Evening star., 1948-02-01

can taxpayer is subsidizing the Jap
The Marshall Plan for China's
paciflcation was simple. A truce
should be called between the war
ring factions and a new government,
including some prominent leaders
from the Communist side, should be
organized at once.
Failure Stopped Loan
Gen. Marshall's efforts to put his
plans into effect failed. In his
farewell address" when he left
China he did not blame Gen.
Chang exclusively for the failure,
which was the first blow to his
prestige as Army Chief of Staff. He
is said, however, to have felt strong
ly that the Chinese leader had not
been sufficiently cooperative.
| AS result the $500, ,000, 900 ear
marked as loan for China was
never made available and the State
Department withheld for one year
all export licenses for arms and
ammunition for the Chinese gov
ernment forces. The policy of the
State Department was, mo Com
munists in the government, no
money"
The Russians, who signed a.
treaty of friendship with China on
August Is, 1945, used their usual
tricks. Officially relations between
Moscow and Marking are friendly.
But from the first day that it en-
tered Manchuria, the Russian Army
started to support the Chinese
Communist forces.
The Russians informed the Com
munistS of the date when the Red
Army was to withdraw from certain
/ important sections of that richest
province of China and allowed Com
munist units to take their places.
Although the port of Dairen was
to be shared equally by the Chinese
and Russians, the former never
were permitted to utilize it for the
troops they were sending to Man.
churia. Moreover, the Russians
supplied the Chinese Communists
with ample war material, winter
clothing-which is as essential in
that area as food and ammunition
and instructors to show the Com
munists how to handle modern
weapons.
Thus, while the U. S. S. r was
supporting its Yenan stooges in
every conceivable way, the United
States did not allow the established
government of China any kind of
assistance, under the pretext that
the Kuomnitang was corrupt and
that assistance would be squan-
dered to make the rich few richer.
Wedemeyer Report Secret
Last summer, President Truman
ordered Gen. Wedemeyer to return
to China to investigate on the spot
what could be done to remedy the
difficult situation. Gen. Wedemeyer
spent several weeks in China, which
he knew well, and made substan-
tial report of his findings and rec
concentrations. That report is still
classified top secret by the State
Department and has not been given
out, even to members of Congress
who must appropriate funds for
foreign relief. The old wartime ex-
cuse that publication would be
against the public interest is used
Last December China was included
in the stopgap relief program on the
initiative of Congress. Eighteen mil
lion dollars was appropriated and it
was understood by members of the
Appropriations Committee that
shortly after the start of the present
session, program for greater as
sistance to China would be presented
to Congress. This demand by Con-
gress that China be included in the
overall Marshall Plan was the result
of positive statements made under
oath at a hearing of the Senate
Appropriations Committee by Gen.
Wedemeyer, who was subpoenaed
as a witness.
To a question from Chairman
Bridges as to whether Gen. Wede-
meyer considered it urgent that
China receive military and economic
assistance, Gen. Wedemeyer replied
emphatically, Yes, sir, I do" To a
further question by Senator Bridges
as to whether he believed we have
kept our promises to China over the
years, the answer was equally posi-
tive, mo, sir, I do not"
Plan Still Lacking
In spite of formal promises to
Congress that a plan for aid to
China would be Forthcoming, moth
ing has been done for the present.
The State Department still shuf1ies
its feet over that problem.
A gigantic plan to help 16 nations
in Europe with some $4,000 900 900
over a period OF four years was dis
cussed with the European nations
and put into final form within six
months after the idea was formu-
lated by Gen. Marshall.
In spite of the immensity of the
problem, involving discussions with
many foreign governments and ana
lysis of their resources, the plan was
ready for Congress within a rela-
lively short time. Yet the State
Department, which had to study the
needs of one country in the Far
East, has not yet been able to draft
a plan which would need less than
10 per cent of the amount required
for one year In Europe.
Meanwhile, the disintegration of
China's forces leading to the loss