Evening star., 1951-12-14

John S. Service is shown a
fled last night of his dismissa
/, the result of Loyalty Revie
! doubt about his loyalty.
! sador Hurley. for he was at NJ
time his subordinate; he acted a
I slall times strictly in accordanc,
} with the orders of his proper
commanding officers. to whom hi.
services were apparently salts
factory.
! Second, it is charged that Mr.
Service was disloyal to American
policy with respect to China, as
i that policy was represented by
j Ambassador Hurley. in that Mr.
Service was critical of the Chi
Inese Nationalist Government OF
Chang Kai-shek and favorably
disposed towards the Oh n ese
Communists; that he favored
larming and collaborating with
the Communist forces; and that
he favored stopping United States
assistance to Chang Kai-shek
and extending it to the Commu-
nists, and believed that Commu-
mist participation in the Govern
ment was the only hope for a
stable democratic and indepen-
dent Chinese Government
Third. it is charged that Mr.
Service was sympathetic with
communism and working in the
interest of the Communist Party
Since both the second and the
third charges were based upon
the reports and recommendations
submitted by Mr.. Service from
China. and since the two charges
are closely related in substance
the Board considered them to-
gether.
There was nothing covert Oh
furtive or secret, so far as Ameri-
can authorities in China or else
where were concerned, about Mr.
Services observations, conclusions
and recommendations with re-
gard to Chinese affairs from 1912
to -1945. The Board has had ac-
cess to 127 reports written by Mr.
Service between those dates. Only
4 of these precede his assignment
as political observer; about 10
are from Lanchow, where he was
observer for the Embassy; about
so were made at Chunking after
1 he was detailed to the Army:
about 35 were made during his
first tour of duty in Yenan, where
his function was to secure politi-
cal intelligence for the Army, and
for this purpose to become ac-
quainted with the principal Com
munist leaders. and to report on
the organization. policies, pro-
gram. propaganda and popular
support of the Communist Party:
3 were made in Washington; IL on
his return to Chunking; and IA
on his second trip to Yenan un-
der General CROSS orders.
Mr.. Services reports while he
was on detail with the Army were
in the form of memoranda, pre-
pared in quadruplicate-the orig
inal for Army Headquarters. one
copy for his immediate superior
Mr.. John P. Davies. one for the
Embassy, and one for his own
files. Mr.. Services views were
therefore, well known throughout
both Army Headquarters and the
Embassy in China. and in the Wal
and State Departments in Wash
ington, to which Departments
1 copies were forwarded by the
Army Headquarters and Embass,
respectively.
Allied With Soviet.
1t is necessary to assess these
reports against the background Of
1944-1945 rather than that, Of
1850. In 1944-1945 the war witt
Japan was reaching it's climax
1t was the duty of the Unitee
, States military commander in thu
China theater to do all in hi.
power to contribute to the defea
of Japan, and to this end to brine
!, about the maximum possible
Chinese military effort. In 1914.
1945 we were allies with the Soyie
, Union in the war in Europe, anc
were furnishing lend-lease arm
to the Russian Communists on /.
large scale.
! In l945 it was Ambassador Hur.
Iley's mission in China, not onl,
! to prevent the collapse of tn,
| Chinese Nationalist Government
: and to keep the Chinese National
ist Armies in the field, but also t,
prevent civil war in China and t,
lunify the Anti-Japanese forces il
-lChina. whether Nationalist O
4 Communist. This double -heade,
e objective could only be accomp
lished by an accommodation be
tween the Chinese Nationals
O Government and the Chimes
S Communists. 1t was precisely sue
" an accommodation which Genera
is Hurley was endeavoring, under in
! fstructions. to bring about.
dI The board has examined Nj
.e Services reports in the light G
n this background. 1t finds ther
l. objective, and extraordinarily &C
d curate as political forecasts {
" what was to come. It finds n
y indications that they misstate
n any fact or reported anythin
other than his best judgmer
l.