1944 Linebarger cheque cover

A cover with fascinating links to the culture and politics of China and the USA.

Franked with $3 yellow and a pair of 30c orange Central Trust Chungking SYS, probably paying the domestic air surcharge of $3 on top of printed matter rate of 60c.

Cancelled with two cds of Chunking bilingual postmark of 3rd (30th?) August 1944 (33 year in informal Chinese numerals).

Printed markings

If you can provide better translations or character matches, please let me know.

• 行 狠 誠 興 褧 (?)
• CHU HSIN CHEN BANK, LTD.
• 行 xíng (hsin) - row
• 狠 hěn - ruthless
• 誠 chéng - sincerity
• 興 xìng - hing (Hsin?)
• 褧 (?) jiǒng - ?

To the right - handstamped characters

• 結 jié = (knot) & 單 dān = (single)
• 結單 jié dān = check (cheque UK English)

Printed below:

處 原 遐 退 遞 投 法 焦 ?

Possibly "according to relevent law"??

Handwritten markings:

1. "Lt" in fine pencil (lieutenant?)
2. "Linebarger" in black pen (PMA Linebarger probably)
3. "Am. Mil Mission" in thick pencil (American Military Mission)

This cover was almost certainly sent from Chu Hsin Chen Bank, Ltd in Chungking to Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, who was a member of the American Military Mission in China in 1942^[1] and almost certainly still was in August 1944^[2].

I do not know of his location at this time, but it seems at some distance from Chungking, if it was sent airmail.

Paul Linebarger wrote Psychological Warfare (ISBN: 9780405047558). He also wrote fiction under pseudonyms, most famously, Cordwainer Smith (see http://cordwainer-smith.com/ and other sources) for his Science Fiction novels.

Connection to Sun Yat-sen

Paul's godfather was Sun Yat-sen! His father, Paul M. W. Linebarger, was a lawyer and political activist with close ties to the leaders of the Chinese revolution of 1911.

---

[1]A summary of Paul MA Linebarger's Personal File on the Far East 1942 (link is to local copy) is (or was) at Hitotsubashi University Library, published online at: https://www.lib.hit-u.ac.jp/service/tenji/linebarger/Qcea-168-1.html

[2]He sent a letter to his mother in the States from China on his birthday on 11th July 1944 (from my correspondance with his daughter, Rosana Hart).