893.61A/10–1345: Telegram
The Chargé in China (Robertson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:12 p.m.]
1789. Part 1. Embassy is in receipt of note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under date of October 3 stating that a member of the Ministry of Agriculture had called and informed the Foreign Office that a letter had been received from Dr. Walter C. Lowdermilk expressing the hope of coming to China at an early date and referring again to the fact that the Chinese Government would bear all expenses. Foreign Office requests that we communicate the above to the Department of State.
It should be noted that Embassy has previously received three notes from Ministry of Foreign Affairs with reference to Dr. Lowdermilk’s assignment to China (December 26, 1944, June 2 and June 27, 194544). All were written on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry requesting that Lowdermilk be assigned to China to continue his work and the last two specified that all expenses in connection therewith would be borne by Chinese Government.
Part 2. Apparently this proposed assignment is viewed with some misgiving by other American agriculturists in China (see Embtel 1182, July 19). Dawson has further discussed subject with Moyer and concurs fully in the views of OFAR as reported by Moyer. He requests that you refer to his memorandum of September 2945 on work of agricultural specialists under cultural relations program. While some agriculturalists in Kansu and Shensi believe Lowdermilk started helpful work in soil conservation in those provinces, Dawson believes that any important expansion in that line needs careful consideration in connection with the whole program of agricultural improvement and that the projected mission on agricultural collaboration would probably wish to review soil conservation problems in relation to many [any] long-time agricultural program of China and possibly make certain recommendations in that connection which might differ from Lowdermilk’s. He suggests that if Lowdermilk’s trip is approved the Department might desire to ask him to outline specifically the scope of the project. He also suggests OFAR consider discussion of this subject with Lowdermilk.