At one point in discussions after the formal session the President, who was intensely interested in the character of Chiang Kai-shek, asked Stilwell and Chennault for their opinions. “He’s a vacillating tricky undependable old scoundrel who never keeps his word,” Stilwell replied. Chennault nobly offered, “Sir, I think the Generalissimo is one of the two or three greatest military and political leaders in the world today. He has never broken a commitment or promise made to me.”
