LETTER TO DUNCAN C. LEE FROM PAUL L. E. HELLIWELL RE RECEIPT OF LETTER OF 4 MAY - LEE, DUNCAN CHAPLIN

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 0005657712
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: June 24, 2015
• Document Release Date: July 5, 2011
• Case Number: F-2009-01397
• Publication Date: May 22, 1945

HEADQUARTERS
OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES
CHINA THEATER
APO 627
Major Duncan C. lee
Chief, Tepen-China Section
Far East SI
Washington, D. C.
REGISTRY NO. (b)(6)
APPROVED FOR RELEASE[]
DATE: 08-Jun-2011
SI Branch
22 May 1945
This wiLA eclmowleage receipt of your letter of 4 May.
Needless to aqy I an delighted at the prospect of your r?oming out
here with the General so that you can see what is going on in the
theater. We are all looking forward with the greatest anticipation
tc your arrival.
With respect to the question of your coming out here for
field duty, I must frankly admit that I an tom between two desires.
On the one had I feel that you would be of inestimable value here,
and on the other hand I feel that your acting as baolmtop in Washing.
ton is extremely important to the proper functioning of SI in this
theater, since despite the fact that you have competent personnel to
assist you there, I question whether any of them can really pick up
the ball and'carry it as effectively as you do in the event you came
to the field,
,From a purely personal standpoint I feel that field duty
in China may not be as attractive on mature consideration as it is
on first blush. In my opinion any SI personnel who come out here
and occupy top jobs may just as well reconcile themselves to A mini-
mum of eighteen months' duty before they can possibly return to the
States, and eighteen ronthe in modern China is not the unit pleasant
eighteen months imaginable.
I have taken the liberty of discussing the matter with
Colonel Heppner, and he. feels, as I think I do, that your presence
in Washington is of extreme value to $I activities in this theater,
and he also feels, particularly in view of personal reasons you have
against going overseas, that to take a long field assignment here in
China might not be the right thing to do so far as ynu personally are
concerned.
/'q
 I agree that it is rather difficult to make a final decision
prior to the time that you actually come out hers with the General, but
putting any personal desires of mine to cne side, I think that you would
do well indeed to think long and seriously before you put yourself into
a job here in China that will last tit ssrannee dim and indefinite date.
giQa~a~! I/
P54 L. S. Helliwell
Ct. Colonel, F. A.
Chief, SI, OSS, CT