Letter from Li Tsung-jen to President Harry S. Truman

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT Republic of China Y 4645 Delafield Avenue Riverdale, N. Y. for June 3, 1950 Dear Mr. President: I feel constrained to acquaint you with a new development from Formosa. A campaign is afoot to represent that Chiang Kai-shek and myself are prepared to co-operate in order to secure American aid. Immediately after his illegal assumption of presidency, Chang Kai-shek sought American aid by grossly exaggerating his military exploits and promising political and economic reforms. Both of these strategies did not make an im- pression on your government. Failing in these manoeuvres, he is now exploiting co-operation with me as a measure of pressure on your government, designed to show the world that if American aid is still not given when two leaders combined to defend the last bastion of Free China you are not only dissatisfied with him, Chiang Kai-shek, but that you actually are abandoning the Chinese people and China as a nation. The instrument in this campaign is Mr. Albert Chow. Before proceeding to Hongkong more than a month ago he was approached in New York by Dr. James Yu, Chinese Ambassador to Italy and Mr. Liu Chieh, Chinese Ambassador to Canada, both proteges of Mme Chiang Kai-shek. As soon as he arrived in Hong- kong he announced that the American government would not aid either Chiang or Li if they did not co-operate, and that should they work together then aid would be forthcoming for the defence of Formosa. When he left Hongkong for Formosa he announced that he had brought a letter from the State Department to your Charge d'Affairs in Formosa, and that the American consul in Hongkong had urged him to make the trip and endorsed his views, evidently to makebelief that his effort was initiated by the State Department. While in Formosa he acted as if he were an emissary of myself, to offer co-operation to Chiang in order to hearten the disillusioned officers on the island. He is now returning to this country, bringing with him letters from Chiang's followers and some of my subordinates, who were evidently deceived by him, letters with one aim, pleading for co-operation. The technique and all the details of this plan are designed by Chiang Kai-shek himself. It is plain that Chiang Kai-shek has lost all confidence of the Chinese people and his regime has long been proved incompetent and hopeless. It is entire- ly out of the question for me to work with him. Of course, I am convinced that China can be saved, but without him. Yours sincerely, /s/ Li Tsung-jen His Excellency Harry S. Truman President of the United States White House Washington, D. C.