Volume 1: Entering the Anti-War Era Chapter 66: International Turbulence
On September 27, 1940, the Tripartite Pact was signed in Berlin by Germany, Italy and Japan, causing a great stir internationally. In fact, intelligence agencies of various countries had already learned about this matter, and Japan's former ambassador to Germany, Saburō Kurusu, had been in Germany for nearly half a year, and almost all parties had grasped the news, but what was unexpected was that at this critical juncture in the European war, the three countries announced the pact, adding military alliance clauses to the original agreement against the Communist International. The main contents include: Japan recognizes and respects the leadership of Germany and Italy in establishing a new order in Europe, and Germany and Italy recognize and respect Japan's leadership in establishing a new order in "Greater East Asia"; The three countries guarantee that if one of the contracting parties is attacked by any country not currently participating in the European war or the Sino-Japanese conflict, they will provide assistance with all political, economic and military means; The above provisions do not affect the current political status of each contracting party with the Soviet Union.
This treaty first harmed the two major powers that were at war with Germany, Italy and Japan, namely Britain and China. Britain was already dying in the air fighting against German bombing, and its colonies in Africa had also been invaded by Italy, while China did not need to be said, the Japanese had come for 3 years. The signing of this treaty bound these two major powers that were suffering from foreign invasion together, even the United States felt threatened by the war, at this time it was necessary to reconsider the international situation.
Since the "July 7" incident, China's wartime rear required various war and civilian materials: gasoline, kerosene, diesel, rubber, automobile parts were 100% dependent on imports from the West. Ninety percent of medicines, steel, cotton yarn, white sugar, and paper also relied on Western imports. Therefore, ensuring the smooth flow of several international transportation lines was crucial for China. Especially after the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway was disrupted in August 1940, the Yunnan-Burma Road almost became the only channel connecting China with the world, highlighting its importance to China's war effort. The role of the Yunnan-Burma Road was not only to provide actual assistance to China's war effort but also to boost the morale of Chinese soldiers and civilians to some extent. To completely cut off China's overseas supply lines and complete the final blockade against China, Japan demanded that Britain close the Yunnan-Burma Road while cutting off the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, attempting to force Britain to make concessions in a situation where its own national situation was in crisis.
On June 20, 1940, Japanese Foreign Minister Hachiro Arita formally requested the closure of the Burma Road to British Ambassador Sir Robert Craigie and emphasized that if this road was not closed, it would be impossible to control Japan's extremist elements. On June 24, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally requested the British government to take measures to stop the transportation of arms and ammunition as well as supplies such as fuel, trucks, and railway materials on the Burma Road, otherwise relations between Japan and Britain would be seriously affected.
At that time, Britain was in a grim international situation. In Europe, France quickly surrendered and most of the countries in Northwest Europe fell, with the war already burning on British soil. Britain almost single-handedly took on the task of fighting against fascist Germany, while in the Far East, it also had to defend its colonies such as Singapore, Hong Kong, India, and Burma. Its military strength was clearly insufficient, and it was fundamentally unable to counter Japan. For China, the importance of the Burma Road was self-evident. Even Churchill expressed in a letter to Roosevelt: "Now that the Japanese army seems to be entering Yunnan, cutting off the Burma Road, this will bring disastrous consequences for Chiang Kai-shek, and the collapse of his resistance will not only be a global tragedy but also enable the Japanese army to advance south or north with great force." Moreover, he himself repeatedly praised the Chinese people's spirit of resistance in different contexts and expressed support for China's war effort. Faced with Japan's demands, Britain was faced with a difficult choice: either risk conflict with Japan in the Far East by refusing Japan's demands and supporting China's war effort, or ignore international morality and close the Burma Road at the cost of worsening Sino-British relations. What choice Britain would make became the focus of attention for Japan, China, and the international community.
In the end, Britain's verbal sympathy and support for China's war of resistance could not change its realistic principle of extreme self-interest. The British cabinet made a decision to temporarily close the Burma Road for three months, attempting to sacrifice Chinese interests in exchange for the security of Eastern colonies. In response to Britain's decision: On July 15th, Ambassador Guo Taiqi submitted a written protest to the British government, and the next day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the National Government stated that "this action is not only extremely unfriendly but also illegal". The editorial in Masses Magazine, "On the issue of Britain cutting off southwestern transportation", clearly pointed out that "Britain's decision is helping Japan coerce China into surrendering".
In the face of international opposition and the difficulties faced by China's war efforts, Britain turned a blind eye. On July 18, 1940, Britain and Japan signed the "Anglo-Japanese Agreement on the Closure of the Burma Road" in Tokyo, which came into effect immediately, stipulating that: "The British government shall prohibit the transportation of weapons, ammunition, gasoline, trucks, and railway equipment through Burma for a period of three months from July 18 this year; Japanese officials may maintain contact with British officials to ensure the effectiveness of this ban." Britain's closure of the Burma Road cast a shadow over Sino-British relations.
When the Burma Road was about to be closed for three months, the Tripartite Pact between Germany, Italy and Japan was formally signed in Berlin. The pact stipulated that the three countries would jointly wage war and share a common enemy. Clearly, Britain, which was already at war with Germany, also became an enemy of Japan. The next day, Japan established a diplomatic policy outline directly targeting Britain, demanding that all British troops withdraw from the Pacific and threatening war. The deterioration of Anglo-Japanese relations led the British government to realize that war between Britain and Japan in the Far East was inevitable. Moreover, closing the Burma Road not only brought severe difficulties to China's resistance against Japanese aggression but also made Britain pay a heavy price, handing over the entire Southeast Asia to Japan.
In the face of changing circumstances, Britain had to readjust its Far Eastern policy, and reopening the Burma Road became a top priority. On the one hand, it could demonstrate Britain's uncompromising attitude towards Japan and its determination to resist; on the other hand, it could win China's support in future wars with Japan and ease Sino-British relations.
Now for China, the materials piled up in Yangon Port can be transported to Chongqing on a regular basis through the floating base, and the materials that need to be exported from Chongqing can also be transported to the secret base in the jungle outside Yangon Port on a regular basis. All of this is done under extremely secretive circumstances, with neither Britain nor Japan aware of it. Therefore, the Burma Road is not particularly urgent for China. China's hope to persuade Britain to reopen the Burma Road is to link China's resistance war closely with World War II and to show Britain a supportive attitude. Of course, after the reopening of the Burma Road, the transportation pressure on the floating base will be alleviated, which is also a good thing. Since the day the Burma Road was closed, Ambassador Kuo Tai-chi has been busy with the matter of reopening it, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the department he visits most often. In fact, as early as September, Churchill had already indicated that there was no problem in reopening the Burma Road, and Britain also hoped to use the signing of the Tripartite Pact to step down and gain American support. The attitude of the United States is now particularly important for the invaded party.
After the signing of the Tripartite Pact, the United States' concerns about global security also grew. Although it was separated from the war by two oceans and would not be directly affected for a while, its colonial territories in the Philippines were at risk, and with the world at war, who could it sell its remaining industrial products and agricultural produce to? In this context, the United States quickly made a decision. On October 2, the US government publicly stated that "with clear action, we will show our strong determination not to back down one step due to Japan's intimidation." Roosevelt also issued a statement: "The United States assists those who have been invaded, and has no intention of yielding to coercion or threats to follow the path shown by dictators." With this indication, the British believed that the time had come to reopen the Burma Road, and they had gotten what they wanted.
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October 3rd, early in the morning, Guo Taiqi arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is now a regular visitor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ernest Bevin, also treats Guo Taiqi with great respect due to the outstanding achievements of the Chinese Aviation Squadron that aided Britain. The squadron has created many firsts: it ranks first in the number of enemy planes shot down among all volunteer groups, first in the number of personnel participating in battles among all volunteer groups, and first in the variety of aircraft equipped. Of course, there is also the top ace Liu Zesheng, who has already shot down 20 planes, ranking first among all foreign pilots, with a momentum to surpass local pilots. Just yesterday, under Xu Huan's leadership, the night fighter squadron shot down 36 German He111 bombers that came to bomb London. Today, major newspapers in London are discussing this achievement and talking about the "miraculous Oriental people".
"Mr. Ambassador, I have some good news to tell you. The War Cabinet has just made a decision this morning to reopen the Burma Road. The Burma Road will be opened soon." Bevin said excitedly after seeing Guo Taiqi, finally solving a big problem. On the matter of closing the Burma Road, he felt guilty both emotionally and morally.
"Excellent, thank you for your efforts. I believe this news will boost the world's determination to fight against fascist invasion." Although he had known that the closure of the Burma Road would not be extended, he was still very happy to hear the news of its reopening. "Our country hopes to improve the transportation situation on the Burma Road in the near future and expand the volume of transportation, as well as discuss with the British side the construction of the Burma Railway." This matter is one of Guo Taiqi's recent work priorities, and the expansion of the highway has actually been discussed before the closure of the Burma Road. The construction of the Burma Railway will greatly enhance the carrying capacity of this lifeline. Historically, the Burma Railway was not completed because Burma was quickly occupied by Japan after the outbreak of the Pacific War, but in this era transformed by He Junci, China is confident in defending Burma, so the construction of the Burma Railway has been given priority.
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On October 17, the Burma Road reopened after being closed for three months. After the reopening of the Burma Road, the British and Burmese authorities immediately sent representatives to China to discuss improvements in transportation. The British side proposed the establishment of a Sino-Burmese Mixed Committee, with an American expert as chairman, to manage all transportation within the Sino-Burmese border. Chiang Kai-shek immediately agreed. Chiang Kai-shek also asked the United States to send experts to China to assist in managing the Burma Road, which was approved by the US side. The US side required China to reorganize the management agency of the Burma Road. Chiang Kai-shek immediately ordered the establishment of the Burma Road Transportation Engineering Supervision Committee and personally inspected and instructed it. He also ordered the Military Commission's Transportation Control Bureau to take over the management of national highway transportation agencies, concentrating all efforts on unified scheduling. The road renovation project was also accelerated simultaneously.
The Burma Road was closed from July 18 to October 17, a full three months. During this period, only medical supplies could be transported into the country, causing great inconvenience to China's war efforts. Fortunately, the world had air transport capabilities to support it, and China did not have to anxiously wait for life-saving supplies like in history. The closure of the Burma Road taught China, which had just joined the big powers, a lesson: between countries, there are only interests, no morality; what should be strictly adhered to is self-interest. But sometimes Chinese leaders sacrificed national interests for personal fame, and being a hypocrite is shameful!
Finish work in Chongqing and prepare to head back.
Wish you all a happy National Day! Enjoy your holiday!
