Claire Lee Chennault
In October 1942, McHugh encouraged Chiang Kai-shek to seek the replacement of Joseph Stilwell with Claire Lee Chennault. While returning to the United States, McHugh visited Archibald Wavell, criticized Stilwell severely, and spoke favorably of Chennault's claim that Japan could be defeated by a small American air force based in China. This infuriated George Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff, who believed that McHugh's indiscretion irreparably damaged the American war strategy in southeast Asia and China.