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DECLASSIFIED
E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and '5(D) or (E).
OSD letter, May 3, .1972
By NLT-NC NARS Date 6.24.75
3 September 1945
YOR THE PRESIDENT:
SUBJECT: United States Coumitment for Equipment of the Chinese Army.
In accordence with a request from Cormodore Verdaman to
Colonel Pasco concerning the alleged U.S. commitnent to furnish
equipnent for 120 Chinese divisions, the following information is
submitted.
The Wer Department accepted a plan for equipping and training
thirty Chinese divisions in early 1942 and included the equipment in
the Army Supply Progrem. This plan Was by General Stilwell
in accordance with his directive to strengthen the Ghinese Arny thru
the media of Lend-Lesse end training aid.
Troining of a second sroup of thirty divisions Vas approved by
the War Depertment in January 1943. Commitment was not made as to the
provision of equipnent for these second thirty divisions with the
exception that ten per cent thereof was approved for training purposes.
At a Joint Chiefs of Staff Neoting at the Cairo Conference
(November 1943), General Stilwell reported that Generalissino
Chiang Kai-shek had a plan which called for the equipping of three
groups of thirty divisions each or a total of ninety divisions. The
following extract fron the minutes of the 130th JCS Meeting at the
above conference 1a the only indication the War Department has of a
commitment, if any, President Roosevelt made to Generolissino Chiang
Kai-shek:
GENERAL MARSHALL aaid the President had already been spoken
to about the arming of the third group of Chinese divisions.
The President had postponed any definite commitment in this
connection although he had made it cleor that the United States
intends eventually to provide the equipment for this group.
Therefore thore was no question that in the end the United States
will am the Chinese group but the question Was as to when this
could be done. He thought that this provided a possible basis
for a statement by the Denerolissimo. If the Generolissimo
could say that he had been assured by the President that the
United States would arm and equip the entire Chinese Army and
omit any mention of the specific time at which this would be
Please return to originating office of
GORDS a
War bepar tment to showing action taken
SENVICE*
ETI
2491 time 729
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"ocrText": "DECLASSIFIED\nE.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and '5(D) or (E).\nOSD letter, May 3, .1972\nBy NLT-NC NARS Date 6.24.75\n3 September 1945\nYOR THE PRESIDENT:\nSUBJECT: United States Coumitment for Equipment of the Chinese Army.\nIn accordence with a request from Cormodore Verdaman to\nColonel Pasco concerning the alleged U.S. commitnent to furnish\nequipnent for 120 Chinese divisions, the following information is\nsubmitted.\nThe Wer Department accepted a plan for equipping and training\nthirty Chinese divisions in early 1942 and included the equipment in\nthe Army Supply Progrem. This plan Was by General Stilwell\nin accordance with his directive to strengthen the Ghinese Arny thru\nthe media of Lend-Lesse end training aid.\nTroining of a second sroup of thirty divisions Vas approved by\nthe War Depertment in January 1943. Commitment was not made as to the\nprovision of equipnent for these second thirty divisions with the\nexception that ten per cent thereof was approved for training purposes.\nAt a Joint Chiefs of Staff Neoting at the Cairo Conference\n(November 1943), General Stilwell reported that Generalissino\nChiang Kai-shek had a plan which called for the equipping of three\ngroups of thirty divisions each or a total of ninety divisions. The\nfollowing extract fron the minutes of the 130th JCS Meeting at the\nabove conference 1a the only indication the War Department has of a\ncommitment, if any, President Roosevelt made to Generolissino Chiang\nKai-shek:\nGENERAL MARSHALL aaid the President had already been spoken\nto about the arming of the third group of Chinese divisions.\nThe President had postponed any definite commitment in this\nconnection although he had made it cleor that the United States\nintends eventually to provide the equipment for this group.\nTherefore thore was no question that in the end the United States\nwill am the Chinese group but the question Was as to when this\ncould be done. He thought that this provided a possible basis\nfor a statement by the Denerolissimo. If the Generolissimo\ncould say that he had been assured by the President that the\nUnited States would arm and equip the entire Chinese Army and\nomit any mention of the specific time at which this would be\nPlease return to originating office of\nGORDS a\nWar bepar tment to showing action taken\nSENVICE*\nETI\n2491 time 729"
}