U.S. aid to China in W.W.2

[Rick]

My understanding is that the U.S. sent money and material to China to tie down Japanese troops in that country so said troops don't face U.S. troops in the Pacific. Was it worth it?

[futon]

There were four lines of credit before China was added onto the lend lease program.

 

The first was in Dec 1938, 25 million USD.

The second was in June 1940, 20 million USD.

The third was in Sept 1940, 25 million USD.

The fourth was Dec 1940, 100 million USD.

In this phase, the US wasn't thinking in a context of a future Pacific War. Although resistance in the US to the lines of credit felt it would antagonize Japan. Supporters of the loans didn't want China to fall as it would strengthen Japan's position in Asia. What happened in 1940 was the establishment of the Wang Regime. That ringed home to FDR, Margenthau, and others about how close to the end CKS's KMT was.

This phase was probably a little too early for the purpose of the loans to be a coordination with pinning down large amounts of the IJA in China so the US wouldn't have to face them. It was simply to keep CKS's Nationalists Chinese in Chongqing from capitulating. 

Later, the effect could be said, although Japan decided to shift some of its units out of China and Manchuria and to the front vs the US anyway. Surely it had an impact. Although, with the IJN largely defeated by 1944, there wouldn't be much the IJA could. Earlier phases.. well if CKS had collapsed, then what's the point of the oil embargo? If the oil embargo still gets puts in place with a unified China under Wang under Japan, then yeah, the IJA would have more army stuff to throw at the early phase. Although.. speed was everything. What would become available would be more slow infantry unit stuff probably. So maybe not much increase in gains in first 3 or 4 months. Moving front line food ration situation probably be better though I would think. So maybe better projection and gains than the thinned out spreading south Pacific islands in mid 1942.

 

Edited July 25 by futon

[Rick]

Caroline Alexander's book Skies of Thunder mentions that several thousand U.S. airmen lost their lives along with several hundred airplanes. She also mentions that about 2/3 to 3/4 of the material aid was stolen on the Burma Road and supplied the black market with some medical supplies being sold to the Japanese and that the U.S. was aware of these thefts in early to mid 1942.

[On the way]

Not to mention any monies funneled to CKS and KMT would be lucky to see 50% not stolen by him. 

[Markus Becker]

On 7/30/2024 at 10:40 AM, On the way said:

Not to mention any monies funneled to CKS and KMT would be lucky to see 50% not stolen by him. 

Not stolen, repurposed to buy loyalty. Or did he actually put it into his proverbial Swiss bank account? I doubt it.