Re: KW (Taiwan) relationships

[<geminiad@whidbey.com>]

Jhk789@aol.com wrote:
> > 
> BTW, was there a US ambassador in Taiwan at the time?
> 
1] As noted in earlier response, Robert Strong was Charge
d'Affairs. "Ambassador" was to China in Nanking, 1946-49.

As for Ambassador situation ref Chinese Government, it had 
been Ambassador (Dr.) John Leighton Stuart, from July 10,1946
- 1950. (Actually stayed in Nanking after April 23, 1949 occupation
by PLA).

(Dr. )John Leighton Stuart arrival was NOT welcomed by
Embassy officials in 1946, ie his ambassadorship appointment.
He had come to China as a Protestant missionary more than 
40 years prior, later becoming President of Yenchying 
University. Yenching educated many future CCP and KMT
leaders in those intervening years, and Dr. Stuart was often
viewed in traditional Chinese  "student - techer" relationship
because of this.

 Unfortunately,   was viewed as one who would talk, talk, talk -
and accomplish little or nothing. Despite the Christian proselytizing
in China by  the missionaries, but 5 million Catholics and
2.5 million Protestants were in China in '47 - out of a 500 million
population. Their influence, however, was out of proportion to
their numbers, in that Madame Chiang was a convert - as she 
later talked the Generalissimo into conversion as well. 

For most Chinese, however, the conversion was more a matter
of hoping for a better life, if that is what Christianity could offer. 
More importantly in  the 1940s, the missionary influence was more 						
in U.S. "domestic" politics than on events in China or Korea. 
Clearly, it paid handsome dividends within the Pro-China Lobby. 

I would, however, characterize Ambassador Stuart as a Liberal.
Despite this, he had close ties with the Chiang family and could
get an audience anytime. My readings indicate he was a tireless
worker and went out of his way to create a meeting of the minds
between the KMT and CCP, despite the pure chaos of the '46-49
period.

2]  Interesting diary entries on this date - 

 June 11, 1948, "Dr. Stuart is urging the Generalissimo to 
make a public statement calling on China to unite for a solution
of common problems and to drive out both American and Russian
imperialism in order that China may emerge as a great world force
for peace and mediator in the present world struggle!" 
[ Dr. John Melby, 1948 Director, U.S. Educational Foundation
in China (Fulbright) and later, Joint State-Defense Military
Assistance Missions to the Philippines ('49) and SE Asia ('50)] 

""The arguement then comes to the question whether it really
makes any basic difference to American intersts what the outcome
is. Surprisingly, American businessmen here are fairly unanimous 
that it matters little who is in  power;....

"Many of our military poeple, even those with long China experience,
see the problem as whether China in the event of war would be a
major or a minor liability on our site. To Walter Lippmann thesis....
is that China is a morass, that we should pray for the collapse of
the Nationalists, encourage the growth of regionalism, and then
lure the Russins into the swamp to drain their strength instead of
ours. There is some plausibility to the arguement...

"The communists will also have to solve the basic economic
problems which are destroying the Kuomintang...whether they
can will probably not be finally answered in our lifetime...." (Melby)
--------
Keith Jacobs