Madame Chiang Kai-shek had triumphed in Washington before. This time it looked as if everything was against her.
When the Sacred Cow, bringing her on the last lap of her trip from California, landed at Washington National Airport, a hearteningly enthusiastic little crowd of U.S. and Chinese officials was on hand to greet her. But the welcome turned into something like a bargain-basement sale. The crowd pushed, photographers struggled. George Marshall was conspicuously absent; he had gone to Walter Reed Hospital with an old kidney ailment. Mrs. George Marshall took Madame Chiang firmly by the arm, led her past the microphones of protesting radio men and into a State Department Cadillac.
There was more confusion when the disappointed brigade of newsreel cameramen and reporters arrived at Dodona Manor, the Marshalls’ Leesburg, Va. home. The Marshall houseman told them that Madame Chiang had requested two days of privacy. Madame Chiang, however, soon sent word that she would willingly be photographed, came outside to chat and pose.
When reporters asked her to identify the brown fur coat she wore over an ankle-length, brown Chinese gown she spelled it out: “N-u-t-r-i-a.” Then, with a glance at Mrs. Marshall’s smart mink, she said, “It’s an old fur coat, and it’s out of style, but it’s warm.” When the two ladies were seated to be photographed, she smiled at Mrs. Marshall and asked, “Are we supposed to look at each other lovingly?”
Though she was obviously tired (she dislikes air travel, complained that her eardrums “were about to burst”), she talked with animation. At one point she remarked: “Today is my wedding day.” Her hostess said, “Is that so? We’ll have to have a celebration.” Said Madame Chiang: “Just being here is my celebration.”
The next day, with Mrs. Marshall, she drove to the hospital to visit the Secretary of State. He had made a secret sortie to the White House that noon, but he was back in time to chat with Madame Chiang Kai-shek for an hour. The day after, Marshall entertained her and Mrs. Marshall at lunch at the hospital.
But at week’s end, though Madame Chiang had a promise from Harry Truman that he would see her, there was no official indication that the Administration had budged from its belief that there was almost nothing it could do to help China now.
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