Went to see a preview of Wright’s A letter from Taiwan, showing a poor and densely populated country trying to industrialize and to improve agriculture. The medieval and the modern stand next to each other, in strange, almost unbelievable contrast. Pictures were well taken; subjects could have been better selected.
Lunch with Hamilton Wright.
At 3, Chou Chih-jou 【周至柔], Governor of Taiwan, came to chat. Here are some of his points. In an offensive against the mainland, landings could be made, initial battles could be successful, but without American aid, the planes would soon wear out or be destroyed; ammunition would run out. We should aim at increasing fire-power, rather than man-power. Last year, the armed forces expected 90,000 new conscripts, but he could get 70,000. Nature reduces the size of the armed forces. Local elections are proceeding well. The level of the elected is not too high. Some run for office for the sake of social status and prestige; some for influence to be turned into cash. All wish to take care of their relatives. The Executive Yuan and the provincial government have never demarcated their respective spheres of duty. Economic development has to overcome (1) small materials at home and (2) dearness of money.