facilities are available for the transport of any large number of troops and equipment from the 
 
Middle East. Aircraft reinforcements cannot reach Burma from here in less than 5 weeks.
 
4. Chinese Reinforcements
 
     China has repeatedly offered to put three Army Corps in Burma. This
 
offer has repeatedly been declined. Three regiments have been accepted,
 
apparently grudgingly. Our military representatives report Wavell's 
 
disinclination to accept Chinese help.
 
        Chinese units have less firing power than Japanese. The Chinese seek 
 
to compensate for this by endeavoring, so far as possible, to face the
 
Japs with three times as many troops. For this reason, they feel that
 
 three Army Corps in Burma would be necessary to check any Jap attack in
 
force.
 
5. Indicated Action.
 
     The only possibility of holding Burma against any attack in the near future, appears to be 
 
to accept Chiang Kai-shek's offer of three army corps and to rush the disposition of these troops.
 
        While we may understand and sympathize with British reluctance to invoke hrge scale 
 
Chinese assistance, we cannot afford to acquiesce in this action. The eventual job of defeating 
 
Japan must be largely American. This job will be made infinitely more difficult by the loss of 
 
Burma and the resulting diminution of Chinese resistance. American lives and billions of dollars of 
 
American war effort are at stake. We must insist that this consideration is controlling. Immediate 
 
action is essential. Not a day must be lost in making a vigorous presentation of America's and 
 
China's interest.