¦Mr « THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE WASHINGTON r COMF1DEtfTIAL \Jr mm 4 Km November 7, 1941 tcTLy yCo-J / fA . ti/rtftt. 4 My dear Lord Halifax: I am enclosing for your information a paraphrase of a secret message which the President has sent to Mr. Churchill. Believe me oulss very sincerely, Enclosure: Partphrase His Excellency The Right Honorable The Viscount Halifax, K.G. , British Ambassador, PARAPHRASE OF TELEGRAM SENT TO: American Embassy, London DATED: November 7, 1941. The situation to which the appeal of Chiang Kai-shek is addressed is being kept very much in mind. We are un- certain whether plans for a land campaign against Kunming by the Japanese have reached a point warranting an advance against Yunnan in the immediate future by the Japanese. However, failure to keep in mind the seriousness of the threat inherent in that situation would, we feel, be a serious mistake. We will in the meantime do everything possible to help build up the American volunteer air force, in both equipment and personnel, and to expedite and increase lend-lease aid to China. You would be able, we note, to send to China some planes and pilots. It is our feeling that measures along these lines and those you have in mind along the lines we are discussing, along with the continuation of attempts to make our Philip- pine Island defenses stronger, paralleled by like attempts in the Singapore area by you, will have a tendency to add to hesitation on the part of Japan, whereas in the mood Japan is in at present an opposite effect might be created by a new formalized verbal warning or remonstrances. Our earnest and constant effort, study and attention will be given to this entire question. Express reply will probably not be made before the early part of next week to Chiang Kai-shek, Will you please keep what I have said above within the confidence of your close official circle.