China Will Never Collapse, Morale Good, Hu Shih Says

"Rumors of war-weariness and low morale in China are sheer nonsense," Dr. Hu Shih, former Chinese Ambassador to the United States said yesterday before his speech at the Faculty Club last night. "China is weary in a physical sense, yes we have been fighting for over five and a half years, but morale is as good as it has ever been."

"Now we are reasonably sure of the future. Once we were fighting alone; now the most powerful nations in the world are on our side. China will not collapse. We are much more hopeful than ever before," the ex-ambassador revealed.

Dr. Hu Shih, besides serving as Ambassador to this country, is probably the greatest scholar in modern China, and will long be remembered as one of the men who did most to bring China into its swiftly developing importance in world affairs.

Satisfied With Casablanca

The Chinese, on the whole, do not feel slighted because Change Kai-Shek was not invited to the Casablanca conference, according to Dr. Hu. In the official statement issued recently, Dr. T. V. Soong, Minister of Foreign Affairs, revealed that China had been kept fully informed of the proceedings of the meeting and was well satisfied with the plans agreed upon.

"This reflects the general opinion among the Chinese," Dr. Hu said. "Not only would it have meant a long trip for the Generalissimo at a time when he should have been on the home front, but the Chinese well realize that the conference was necessarily concerned with the war in the West."

Government heads in China have never doubted that Britain and the United States would continue the war until Japan was forced to accept "unconditional surrender," according to the exambassador. They have never feared a separate peace by their Western allies after Hitler has been overthrown in Europe.

Lend-Lease Best Possible

In reply to a question on Lend-Lease supplies sent to China, Dr. Hu replied that he had no doubt that both the British and the Americans had done their best under the severe limitations existing. "It is difficult for the layman to judge the problem," he said. "The situation cannot be radically altered without a large scale land, air and naval campaign against the Japanese in Burma."

"Transport planes have their definite limitations. Because high octane gas is scarce in China, freight planes have to carry with them a round trip supply, which necessarily cuts down on their pay load. Until Burma is recaptured, no real amount can be flown in," he revealed. "Once Burma is retaken, we will resume work on the railroad from Lashio north into China. This will take the place of the Burma road which had never been satisfactory."