New York, Feb. 3.
The people of China are in high morale and their leadership is confident of final victory, the American Ambassador to China, Mr. Nelson T. Johnson, told the China Society of America here today.
Mr. Johnson, who was guest of honour at the largest luncheon in the history of the Society, said he was in the United S: ates on "short leave" and felt that he was running more risk crossing New York streets than during the past year and a half he spent in war-torn China.
Mr. Johnson said he saw no panic Jor hysteria among the Chinese, but a growing determination to carry on their resistance. One conviction he has gained since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war, he said, was that "bombers don't win wars." Air raids, he said, brought home to civilians just what war means and places civilians into a position similar to the men in the trenches.
"Instead of shattering their morale," he said, "they know what they are going to do about it when the explosion is over."
Mr. Johnson described his overland trip from Chungking to Burma over the new military highway as a "magnificent tribute to what has been going on in China during the past five or six year:
Guests at the luncheon included the Chinese Consul-General in New York, the leading New York Chinese merchant, Mr. K. C. Li; Miss Hilda Yen, Chinese airwoman; Mr. Harold M. Bixby, Vice-President of Pan-Ameri-[can Airways and Mr. W. H. Plant, Vice-President of United States Steel now visiting the United States from Shanghai.
Mr. Johnson later held a conference with groups interested in relief and higher education in China, including the Trustee Association of China Colleges and the Church Committee for China Relief.
Mr. Johnson told the United Press he intends to spend two months at his home in Wyoming and then proceed directly to China, probably via San Francisco.—United Press. our forces from China. As regards the possibility of garrisoning our orces in China in pursuance of anti-Comintern operations after the establishment of relations with a new central government, we cannot make sweeping statement at this time. because garrisons are necessary either for strategical operations, maintenance of peace and order, or anti-Comintern activities. However, if we are to garrison our forces for an Comintern purposes it should be done after the conclusion of an anti-
Comintern pact."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.