Evening star., 1951-09-24

Pdrleys WIN LnIdng
On PoIitico-hi|itary
Situation Described
Former Vice President Henry
A. Wallace's letter to President
Truman dealing 1uith Mr..
Walldce's 1914 trip to the Far
East tollo,os:
Farvue,
South Salem,
New York.
September 10, 1851.
Honorable Harry S. Truman,
President Of the United States,
Washington, D. c.
Dear Mr.. President,
During the last three weeks there
has been considerable newspaper
and radio controversy as to what
part John Carter Vincent and Owen
baltimore played in my trip to the
Far East in 1914. This controversy
arose from certain testimony be.
fore the Senate Committee on In.
ternal Security during August
Therefore I have decided to make
available to you for what dispoSi-
ton you care to make of it the COM
plete file of my reports to President
Roosevelt on my Far Eastern trip
IN 1914. Parts of these reports were
ut one time looked on as secret but
with the situation as it is today
there is no reason why these re-
ports should not be made available
to the public. I shall, of course
take no steps to publish this letter
myself but wish you to feel COM
pletely free to handle it in any way
which you deem will best minister
70 the welfare Of the United States.
The following comments as well
rs the documents themselves should
clear up any confusion as to what
I was trying to do in China. The
part of various individuals in my
trip will also be made more clear
In March Of 1914 I wrote Secretary
Hull asking him to designate some
one to accompany me on the pro-
jected trip and the State Depart
TCtA ~
then Chief of the Division of Chi
nese Affairs. The owl sent Owen
baltimore to handle publicity mat
ters in China. passed through So
Wet Asia on my way to China but
China, where the situation was
critical. formed the sole subject of
my recommendations to President
Roosevelt These recommendations
were contained in two related docu-
ments:
First, a message drafted in Kun
ming, China, on June 26, 1914, but
which because of difficulties of COM
munication from Running, was ca
bled to the President from New
Delhi on June %. 1914. This was
divided into two parts, the first
part being a quick resume of the
political situation in China and of
my talks in the days immediate
ly preceding with Generalissimo
Chang Kai-shek; and the second
part, a resume of the military sit
uation, its implications and require
ments.
Second, formal report to Presi-
dent Roosevelt covering my whole
trip, including also certain longer
term proposals about American pol
Icy in China which I presented in
person at the White House on July
10, 1914.
Only Documents.
These were the only documents
originated by me and contained all
recommendations of mine resulting
from the trip. Mr.. Vincent, of
course, transmitted to the State De-
partment the detailed, reportorial
account of my conversations with
the generalissimo which have al
ready been published in the State
Department White Paper.
There has been testimony before
the Senate Internal Security Com
mittee that Messrs. Vincent and
baltimore were members of the
Communist Party at that time and
were relied on by the party lead
ership to guide" me along the
party line. Hence it is important
to specify the parts that these two
men took in the recommendations
that I presented to President Roose-
velt. AS to Mr.. baltimore, he had
no part Whatever He did not con-
tribute TO and to the best of my
knowledge knew nothing about
either the cable from New Delhi
or the formal report to the Presi-
dent delivered in Washington. He
offered me no political advice at
any time sufficiently significant to
be recalled now, and when we were
together, he talked chiefly about
scholarly subjects of common in
terest such as the history of Chi
nese agriculture and the relation
ship of the nomadic tribes with
the settled peasantry.
Mr.. Vincent as the designated
representative Of the State De-
partment was naturally consulted
by me when we were travelling to-
gether. Aside from serving as re-
porter at the meetings with Ciang
Kai-shek, his most important part
was his assistance in the prepara-
ton Of the two-part cable sent
from New Delhi. In Running, the
knowledge I had already gained in
Chungking of the urgency of the
Chinese situation, and of the grave
dangers of the Japanese offensive
then going on in East China was
heavily underlined by Gen. C. L.
Chennault's presentation to me of
the current military picture. In
the light of this presentation and
in response to Chang Kai-shek's S
request made of me on June "a
decided to cable President Roose-
velt on June 26. Mr.. Vincent joined
In the advance discussions of the
projected cable, was present while
1t was drafted and concurred in the
result. The finished cable was, of
course, mine but I was disturbed