George C. Marshall and Sun Li-Jen

The relationship between General George C. Marshall and General Sun Li-Jen is interesting.

Mr. Larry I. Bland, the director of Marshall Papers Project, greeted Chih-Yuan and the filming crew as we walked in. The following are e-mail exchange between Mr. Bland and Chieh.

Dear Larry,

Thank you very much for the friendly greetings when Chih-Yuan and the crew entered the G.C. Marshall Museum. We really felt that you have even done your homework before we came, and you were able to tell us the interesting perspective. What you have said impressed even Stephen Hanes, the video-grapher, who has been wondering what we were doing, because we spoke Chinese during his taping most of the time.

The letters you have pointed out are of great interest to me from historical point of view. I will write an article in the near future to be published in a Chinese magazine, or in the book I am writing now.

You have reviewed lots of Marshall's documents. Your conclusion that Gen. Sun is equal to many of the world class general confirmed our view of Gen. Sun. I am wondering if you have a specific reference, published or still in the Archive, that you can give me so that I can cite in my article.

You did mention a quote from Gen. Marshall, and I certainly will appreciate it very much if you can give me the quote and also the reference.

Thanks again, and I hope I will be able to spend more time with you in the future. I certainly have a great interest in General Marshall's stories.

Sincerely,

Peter

Mr. Bland's Reply

Dear Professor Chieh:

Thank you for your flattering message. I have found the Marshall comments on General Sun that I told you about. In the following, Marshall is talking to his authorized biographer on November 13, 1956.

"He [General William J. Slim] favored the Chinese V.M.I. man (the one in trouble now). This Chinese leader made a march in Burma which made the Roberts Mandalay march seem like nothing."

[Source: George C. Marshall Interviews and Reminiscences for Forrest C. Pogue, 3d ed. (Lexington, Va.:George C. Marshall Foundation, 1996), p. 605.]

In the following, Marshall is talking with his authorized biographer on November 21, 1956: "Slim took a great fancy to Sun Li-jen . . . because he found [Sun] worked with him, he was dependable, and he would carry out the orders."

Sun "conducted a march across the Himalays that ranks with the great troop movements in history. He got involved with elephants and everything in the world to get through, but nobody paid any attention to it."

Marshall thought that Madame Chiang liked Slim (the only British leader she trusted) because of Slim's relations with General Sun.

Marshall had great respect for Slim and apparently had read Slim's memoirs, in which the Slim-Sun relationship is mentioned.

[Source: Ibid., p. 364.]

Best wishes,

Larry Bland