World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseSong Ziwen, also known as T. V. Soong (from Wade-Giles Romanization Soong Tse-Ven), was born in Shanghai, China in 1894. He had three sisters, all of whom married prominent Chinese politicians (Song Ailing married Kong Xiangxi, Song Qingling married Dr. Sun Yatsen, and Song Meiling married Chiang Kaishek). He received his undergraduate degree from St. John's University in Shanghai, and then went to the United States for his master's degree in economics at Harvard University (1915) and then his doctorate degree in economics at Columbia University. In the United States, he briefly worked for the National City Bank of New York, the forerunner of Citibank. Returning to China in 1917, he worked at the Shanghai office of a company owned by a family friend. In early 1923, he worked as Dr. Sun Yatsen's translator in Guangdong, China. In Apr 1923, when Sun embarked on the task of establishing a central bank for the Republic of China, Song was involved in the planning; in Aug 1924, he was named the president of the Central Bank of China. In 1925, he took on a concurrent role as the Minister of Finance. In Dec 1927, he became Chiang Kaishek's brother-in-law as Chiang married his younger sister Song Meiling. By Jan 1928, he was a member of government committees in the fields of foreign diplomacy, budget, flood control of the Yellow River, and defense. Between Jul 1928 and May 1930, he negotiated tariff rates with the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom. In Oct 1928, he was named the president of the reformed Central Bank of China, now headquartered in Shanghai; he would hold this position until 1931. In Jan 1930, he took on a concurrent role as the deputy chief of the Executive Yuan; in this role he was credited with currency reforms and the establishment of a police force to enforce taxation. Between Aug 1932 and Apr 1933, he served as the acting chief of the Executive Yuan. In 1933, he made diplomatic visited to the United States and various European nations. In 1936, during the Xi'an Incident in which Chiang Kaishek was kidnapped by the more radical faction in the Nationalist Party dissatisfied with the lack of action against Japan, Song played a role in negotiating between the two sides. Song's tenure in government posts in the 1930s were viewed as successful, especially as he was able to balance the Nationalist government's budget, bringing the debt problem under control. While he worked to finance the war with Japan which began in 1937, he also began to cultivate support for China in the United States. Song was also accused of corruption, however, using his authority to expand his business empire. When American aid became to flow into China, he was also accused of stealing from this funding.

ww2dbaseIn 1940, Song was dispatched to the United States to secure support, financial and otherwise. He played an important role in the formation of the American Volunteer Group, "Flying Tigers", particularly in terms of the financing of this force. In Dec 1941, he was named the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but he would remain in the United States. In 1942, he represented China in the signing of the Declaration by United Nations during the Arcadia Conference in Washington DC, United States. In Dec 1944, he became the chief of the Executive Yuan. In Apr 1945, he led the Chinese delegation to the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco, California, United States. In Jun 1945, he became the Premier of the Republic of China (as the chief of the Executive Yuan), a role he had been serving since Dec 1944 in an acting status. In Aug 1945, he negotiated an agreement with Joseph Stalin for the Soviet Union to recognize the Republic of China, thus for the Soviets to not recognize the Chinese Communists; in exchange, he gave the Soviets the use of the rail network in northeastern China, a military base at Port Arthur, and the dominance over Outer Mongolia. In Mar 1947, he stepped down as the chief of the Executive Yuan. In Sep 1947, he was named the chairman of Guangdong Provice, China.

ww2dbaseIn 1949, the Chinese Communists achieved victory in the civil war, and the Republic of China was withdrawn to the island of Taiwan. While most Nationalist leaders went to Taiwan, Song instead went to Hong Kong, and then moved to the United States, settling down in New York in Jun 1949. He was ranked as one of the world's richest individuals at this time. He passed away in San Francisco, California, United States in 1971, leaving behind a fortune worth US$5,000,000.

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Song Ziwen Timeline