811.3393/5–2147
Memorandum by the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations for Politico-Military Affairs (Wooldridge) to the Director of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs (Vincent)
The Marines in North China who participated in operations there in connection with maintenance of the Executive Headquarters, Peiping, are being withdrawn. In connection with that withdrawal a large amount of equipment and property will have to be returned to Guam or the United States, and in the case of non-military surpluses will be turned over to OFLC55 for disposition under the Surplus Property Treaty with China.56 The rapidity of this withdrawal will be determined by:
- a.
- Necessity of turn over of alien or Chinese property to the proper authorities;
- b.
- Completion of inventory, segregation and shipment of items to be returned for further use by the Marines in Guam or the United States.
- c.
- Availability of shipping for lift of material and personnel.
- d.
- Requirement that surplus property be guarded for a period of 60 days or during the period required for disposal if less than that time.
The quartermaster work in connection with property accounting, withdrawal, and disposal will require the 7th Service Regiment, and also the presence) of the 1st Battalion to provide security. A total of 1766 Marines will be required at Tientsin for the foregoing purposes until approximately 1 September.
Commander Naval Forces, West Pacific, has been instructed to [Page 966] avoid any publicity in connection with forces required for the evacuation and disposal of the subject property. He has further been instructed that weapons and ammunition are not to be included in the property declared as surplus for disposal by OFLC.
Rear Admiral U. S. N.
- Office of Foreign Liquidation Commissioner.↩
- Signed at Shanghai, August 30, 1946; Department of State, Report to Congress on Foreign Surplus Disposal, October 1946, p. 40. For documentation see Foreign Relations, 1946, vol. x, pp. 1033 ff.↩