Memorandum from the State Department for the War Department

E.O. (COPY) Coppose NARS lettor, Date Aug. 6.24.25 10, or 1872 (E Dept. of State 3(E) and 5(D) December 9, 1945 MEMORANDUM FOR THE WAR DEPARTMENT The President and the Secretary of State are both anxious that the unification of China by peaceful demo- cratic methods be achieved as soon as possible. At a public hearing before the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate on December 7, the Secretary of State said: "During the war the immediate goal of the United States in China was to promote a. military union of the several political factions in order to bring their com- **NATIONAL bined power to bear upon our common enemy, Japan. Our ARCHIVES RECORDS longer-range goal, then as.now, and a goal of at least = SERVICE" equal importance, is the development of a strong, united) and democratic China. "To achieve this longermrange goal, it is essential that the Central Government of China as well as the various dissident elements approach the settlement of their differ- ences with a genuine willingness. to compromise. We believe, as we have long believed and consistently demonstrated, that the government of eneralissimo Chiang Kai-shek affords the most satisfactory base for a developing democ- racy. But we also believe that it must be broadened to include the representatives of those large and well-organ- ized groups who are now without any voice in the government of China. "This problem is not an easy one. It requires tact and discretion, patience and restraint. It will not be solved by slogans. Its solution depends primarily upon the good will of the Chinese leaders themselves. To the extent that our influence is a factor, success will depend upon our capacity to exercise that influence in the light of shifting conditions in such a way as to encourage con- cessions by the Central Government, by the so-called Com- munists, and by the other factions. il The President has asked General Marshall to go to China as his Special Representative for the purpose of bringing to bear in an appropriate and practicable manner the influence of the United States for the achievement of the ends set forth above. Specifically, General Marshall will endeavor to influence the Chinese Government to call a national conference of representatives of the major political