SECRET                    
 
                              April 25, 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 sure       
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 Ocean.
         The United States Government is exploiting every possibility
to expediate the flow of Lend-Lease materials to your armies.   In a 
recent instance, we have taken artillery from the small amounts
 
 
 
 
                              DECLASSIFIED
                         By Deputy Archivist of the U.S.
                         By W. J. Stewart   Date Feb 2, 1972
 
 
                       Secret