During the period from April to August, 1933, T.V. Soong, in his capacity as the Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan and Minister of Finance, paid a four-month visit to the U.S.A. and some European countries including Britain, France, and Germany. Outwardly, Soong was representing the Chinese government to attend the Washington Economic Symposium initiated by President F. Roosevelt and the World Economic Conference convened by the League of Nations in London. His real mission, however, was to seek economic aid and technological cooperation from the U.S.A. and European countries to carry out his strategy of "uniting the U.S.A. and Europe to resist Japan." The major activities of Soong's 1933 trip include: meeting prominent U.S. political and financial figures to sign the Wheat & Cotton Loan; planning to establish an internatioal "Consultative Committee" with the financial organizations of the U.S.A. and Europe responsible for providing loans to China; strengthening technological cooperation with the League of Nations and inviting overseas professionals to work in China. Although Soong's trip did not achieve the expected results owing to the Japanese interference and obstruction, it did exhibit China's desire to seek foreign aid. In the meanwhile, the Nationalist Government took measures to clear obstacles in absorbing foreign capital, and these efforts brought an upsurge of foreign investment in China prior to the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War.