The China White Paper 1949 (XIX)

In a letter dated November 26th, 1945 Ambassador Hurley informed the US President about his intention to resign, and was accepted by the President the next day. This ambassador position was vacant until July 11th the next year to be taken up by Ambassador Stuart.1 When President Truman accepted Ambassador Hurley's resignation, he also appointed George C. Marshall as his Special Representative in China. One of the Presidential instruction to George Marshall was to achieve a cessation of hostilities in North China.2 This instruction also stated that a "strong, united, and democratic China" was crucial to world peace. The president hoped that the Chinese people would not miss the opportunity to settle internal disputes peacefully. He also explained that the presence of US troops in North China was for disarming and evacuating surrendered Japanese troops there, and that no military intervention would take place to influence the Chinese civil fighting.3 The US also promised that American assistance would be targeted at the improvement of China's industrial and agrarian economy, and to help establish a military organization "capable of discharging China's national and international responsibilities for the maintenance of peace and order."4 (to be continued)

Notes:
1.United States, Department of State. The China White Paper-August 1949. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1967, page 110.
2. Ibid., page 132.
3. Ibid., page 133.
4. Ibid., page 133.