The United States Government is exploiting every possi-
 
bility to expedite the flow of Lend-Lease materials to your armies.
 
In a recent instance we have taken artillery fram the small amounts
 
in the hands of our own troops in order to make available those badly
 
needed weapons to your forces. ( We have commenced the building up of
 
a small but strong air force in India for ultimate employment in
 
the China theater. Because of shipping and communication diffi-
 
culties still existing and the loss of Rangon, this force has been
 
concentrated initially in India. Moreover, because of India' s
 
strategic importance as the gateway to China, an interimmission
 
has been assigned to this force to operate against enemy naval units
 
threatening India.)
 
    In order to tide over until ground routes are camplete
 
from India to China, American pilots are now flying a total of
 
thirty-four transport airplanes fourteen thousand miles for use
 
on the air freight route into China. We are extremely short of air
 
transports at this time, but are making them available at the expense
 
of our own forces, and in spite of acute shortages all along the
 
world-wide battle front. We are planning to provide approximately
 
one hundred such planes when facilities are adequately prepared for
 
their operation.  We have withdrawn pursuit airplanes fram our own
 
defenses far dispatch to China.
2
                            z ........... ~.
 
DECLASSIFIED
2 8 1973