Memorandum re Claire L. Chennault

DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12065, Sec. 3-402 State Dept. Guideline, June 12, 1979 COMMERCE LTR. 5-31-79 By NLT- HC NARS, Date 7-16-10 Subject: CLAIRE L. CHENNAULT TAILLY ARCHIVES AND 'NATIONAL TIME RECORDS Associated Firms: U.S. SERVICE" CHINA NATIONAL RELIEF & REHABILITATION ADMINISTRATION AIR TRANSPORT CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT WTDR dated Major General Claire L. Chennault, U. S. Army Retired, former 12/15/48 war-time chief of the famous U. S. Army 14th Air Force "Flying Tigers", on October 25, 1946, organized an air transport service known as the CHINESE NATIONAL RELIEF & REHABILITATION ADMINIS- RATION (CNRRA) AIR TRANSPORT. This airline, which was founded with the concurrence of the Executive Yuan of the Chinese National Government, was to be devoted primarily to transporting medicines, sera and emergency relief supplies and equipment, but would also handle general commercial cargo. In early 1948, CNRRA Air Transport was discontinued and was suc- ceeded by an American partnership, CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT (CAT), the partners of which were Claire L. Chennault and Whiting Willauer. The CAT functioned under a license from the Chinese Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Ministry of Communications, and operated un- scheduled chartered flights carrying freight relief supplies and civilian refugees. CAT planes were also used to air-lift wounded Nationalist troops and to drop food, medicines, etc., to beleaguered areas. General Chennault was reported to have been engaged in various unsuccessful business transactions during 1946 and 1947. One of these ventures involved a contract for wheat flour entered into by the Far East Company, 14 Union Commerce Building, Cleveland, Ohio, and a Chinese firm, Fu Kuo Company, 342 Hankow Road, Shanghai. Chennault was said to be a director of the Cleveland firm. Another transaction involved an unfulfilled contract calling for the delivery of a steamship (S.S. "Fontenac") to a Chinese shipping concern branch office at Taipei, Formosa. The American Consulate General, Shanghai, reported further that it had been approached on several occasions by Chinese merchants, during 1947, on matters involving trade complaints against Chennault, and that local bankers and merchants were most reticent in imparting any information concerning General Chennault. ONI Serial The following paragraphs were extracted from Office of Naval Intel- No. 47-48 ligence Confidential Serial No. 47-48 dated July 10, 1948, Nanking, China: