April 24, 1942.
 
 
Dr. T. V. Soong,
Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Republic of China.
 
Dear Dr. Soong:
 
     
     Will you please dispatch the following message promptly
 
to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek?
 
   
     I have just received your special message handed to me by
 
Dr. Soong and hasten to present to you our position relative to the
 
matters set forth therein. First, permit me to say that I am more
 
than grateful to you for sending General Hsuing Shih-Fei, meeting
 
whom has afforded me personally very special pleasure. His arrival
 
at this time is not only most opportune, but he brings qualifications
 
which will insure his being of particular help to our mutual cause.
 
      As you know, I have been, for a long time, resolutely
 
determined that you and your army are to have every assistance that
 
we can send and for that reason alone we are straining every resource
 
to build up with great rapidity an aerial supply line over ten thousand
 
miles of difficult flying and directly across the British theatres of
 
operations in the Middle East and Indian 0cean. (There have been
 
disappointments to you and to me. They have occurred in spite of anything we could do.)