China Commander

Wedemeyer left Mountbatten and replaced General Stilwell in the spring of 1944. He served in this capacity until the end of the war. Asia was considered during the war, but erroneously so in the context of historical review, to be a “backwater” and unimportant assignment, compared to the exciting things happening in Europe and in the Pacific. General Stilwell never got along with Chiang Kai-shek, had little use for his abilities, and considered him and his entire administration hopelessly corrupt and never lost an opportunity to belittle him. His nickname for Chiang was “peanut”, “lily livered chink” “slant –eyed snake” and worse sometimes. Stilwell and his advisors, both military and civilian State Department employees, favored the Communist forces over the Nationalists, and recommended withholding of military aid to the Nationalists, unless they cooperated by forming a coalition  military and political front with the Communists. Added to this impossible scenario was the complication of the Russians cooperating and aiding Mao with military and monetary support.

A. C. Wedemeyer