Sultry. Issued instructions to Hung 【洪紱], Hsu 【許復七], Hua 【華鳳翔], Ling 【凌道揚], Chang 【張維?] on procurement and initialization plan. Issued also instructions to Kao 【高文伯] and Sweet on the conduct of the field office of Southern Kweichow. Had a talk with Cheng 【鄭道儒] about certain banking operations: he favored exclusive use of the Kincheng Banking Corporation 【金城銀行], while I stood for dividing the deposits among a number of banks. A group of journalism students, led by their teacher, came to interview me. Dinner with Ho 【何廉?]: Yang Shao-tseng 【楊紹曾(石先)] and brother, Cha Liang-cho 【查良釗], Y. S. Huang 【黃鈺生], etc. Went to answer questions of a social workers group.
Cheng Tao-ju 【鄭道儒] told me that at the meeting of the ministries, somebody, at the instigation of Hsu Tao-lin 【徐道鄰], who presided in the absence of Chang Li-sen 【張厲生], raised the question of the resignation of ministers in view of the change of the presidency. Hsu answered that there was precedent in its favor. Evidently, T. V. 【宋子文] would like to recast his cabinet, a wish very legitimate in itself and very desirable for political and administrative reasons. But all present holders of office are C.’s 【蔣中正] appointments. In any event, he could not change ministries without C.’s consent. C. might consent to individual changes, but certainly not a total recast. T. V., according to my guess, might wish to substitute somebody for O. K. Yui 【俞鴻鈞] in finance: himself or F. L. Chang 【張福良?]; he might also wish to change the communications man. Other changes would be unimportant.
【continue writing on page June 21, 1945] Although I would like to promote a cabinet recast, I can do nothing about it. My post being considered minor, my resignation, while unpleasant to C., would not influence the other ministers, who would not do it without a hint from C. T. V., under the circumstances, had best proceed piecemeal.
【continue writing on page June 17, 1945] If T. V. should seek cabinet changes, he might well seek them on the grounds of efficiency and war-urgency and leave the question of constitution rights alone, for, in the first place, the legal aspect is not clear, at least, not well understood by the people and therefore cannot secure much support or arouse much enthusiasm. If sought on grounds of efficiency, he can justify himself before popular opinion; he could further say that the present cabinet is really a Kung 【孔祥熙] cabinet, thus removing any reflections on C.’s conduct of the office. However, O. K. and Yu Fei-peng 【俞飛鵬] are post-Kung appointees. While O. K. might be considered stop-gap, being promoted from the vice-ministership, the substitution of Yu Fei-peng for Tseng Yang-fu 【曾養甫] was not in any sense stop-gap, and was done by C. alone, without any responsibility on Kung or in fact any consideration for him.