To General Homer Lea
Nov. 7, 1910

PenangMy dear General:
　Your letter of September 18, and the book and magazines haveduly received some days ago; and after that Mr. B's letter arrivedwhich informed me that syndicate would meet early in October.But that month has already passed and up to this time there is nodefinite news from them, so I do not expect much from his side.I want you to go on your own way to get the means for our gov-ernment as soon as possible. Of course I will not wait if any op-portunity turn up, but it is very difficult to push matter forwardwithout the necessary means. Since I been here I have improvedthe condition of the preparatory work many ways. And now wecan make a sure success with far less money than we first pro-posed. I think even a tenth of our original sum would be enough.Can you get that anyway quick? I am going to try to raise somemoney here, if I can get bately enough to begin, even far from mak-ing of our success, I will start the business at once.In regard to the translation of your book I will tell my Japa-nese friend to begin at once. I think we may make something inthat way. As to the Chinese edition there will be no hope of
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making any profit out of it, for Chinese publishers only offer from3 to 5 Mexican dollars to a thousand words of the best translation,because copyright are not effective in China. Your book after trans-lated perhaps will make about 100,000 words (characters) whichonly amount to 500 Mexican or 250 American dollars, but at leasttake one for three months to finish it. But your book contains val-uable knowledge which will be indispensable for the Chinese atthe present age. I will try to get someone to bring out a Chineseedition after the Japanese edition is come off.And in regard to your observation of aeroplane in war I haveread it several times with much appreciation. All your reasoningare perfectly sound. I agreed with you entirely in your first part,but as to part second "as a means of reconnaissance" you missedout one thing that is aeroplane and dirigible ballon can very goodphotographs which will help a commander to form a perfect opin-ion of the enemy's situation. For instance in the battles of LeangYang and Mukden the Japanese are less one third than the Rus-sian commander thought that the Japanese are more numerous thanhim. The Japanese line extending over 100 miles, which the Rus-sian captive ballon cannot see. If the Russian had used dirigible oraeroplane to take photograph they could at once detect out the Jap-anese number during these long battled.

Letter to Homer Lea Nov. 7, 1910 364

And about the Chinese government in concerning the force youhad trained in America, I think most likely, if such force is still un-der your command, they would like to get it over and transportit to China and destroy it, as they had done once in the first Wu-sung Shanghai railway case, to buy it up in the prentention to con-trol the line, but immediately the transaction is finished turned upthe rails and shipped them together with the locomotors and carsto Formosa and left there to rot. And for the present Governmentto maintain such force as your four regiments under they serviceis the most untenable thing under the present situation of China.And I think the whole thing is propped up by Chang Yim Tang,the present Chinese Minister in Washington, for his own good. Becareful for all Chinese you come in contact with in America, andunder no circumstances to let any one know of the relation be-tween you and I.
　I hope to hear good news from you soon.
　With kindest regards to you and Miss Power.
Very truly yours, Y. S. Sun
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