A dispute has erupted over the right to inherit the diaries of two late presidents of the Republic of China -- Chiang Kai-shek and his son Chiang Ching- kuo. A fourth-generation family member has demanded that terms of the contract giving the Hoover Institution at Stanford University the right to preserve the diaries for 50 years be renegotiated. Chiang You-mei, the daughter of Chiang Ching-kuo's deceased eldest son Chiang Hsiao-wen, issued a statement through the international law firm Baker & Mckenzie Tuesday asking her aunt Chiang Fang Chih-yi to help in getting the U.S. research institute to negotiate a new contract with her and other legal heirs to the two Chiangs' diaries. The two diaries are of significant academic value because they documented crucial historical events in modern China and recounted relevant policy-making processes, local observers said. On Jan. 10, 2005, Chiang Fang Chih-yi, the widow of Chiang Ching-kuo's third son, Chiang Hsiao-yung, signed an agreement with the Hoover Institution that authorized the San Francisco-based think tank to take possession of the diaries for the next 50 years. The diaries of Chiang Kai-shek span 1918 through 1975, a period that included a war of resistance against Japanese invasion, a civil war with the Chinese Communists and his exile to Taiwan and rule over the island. Chiang Ching-kuo's diaries began in 1939 and ended in 1979, a period during which he succeeded his father, serving as premier and then president of the ROC. The Hoover Institution has since made copies of the diaries available for public inspection under strict conditions. The following are excerpts from local media coverage of the dispute: United Daily News: Chiang You-mei, who resides in Britain, said in the statement that Chiang Fang Chih-yi should not have signed the contract with the Hoover Institute by herself, because she is only one of nine legal heirs to the two Chiangs' diaries. Her act infringed on the legal rights of the other heirs, the statement said. As one of the legal heirs to the diaries, Chiang You-mei said she had long tried to persuade Chiang Fang Chih-yi to push the Hoover Institution to negotiate a new contract with all legal heirs, but had yet to receive a positive response. Chiang You-mei said she and other heirs will not continue tolerating Chiang Fang Chih-yi's arbitrary action and that if necessary, they will take legal action to protect their own rights. (Dec. 1, 2010). China Times: Sources close to the Chiang family said following the death of Chiang Ching-kuo, many important documents and files, including the two Chiangs' diaries, were left to the custody of his third son Chiang Hsiao-yung. Chiang You-mei said Tuesday in a statement that Chiang Kai-shek's diaries were part of Chiang Ching-kuo's legacy that should be equally shared by all of his legal heirs. Chiang Hsiao-yung's widow should not have authorized the Hoover Institution to take possession of the diaries without the consent of other heirs, she argued. CommonWealth Publishing Co. reportedly is scheduled to publish volumes of Chiang Kai-shek's diaries from 1945 to 1949 next week. (Dec. 1, 2010). Liberty Times: The inheritance dispute shed light on disharmony among family members of the once powerful and glamorous Chiang clan. Some pundits wondered if the issue could be settled by turning the diaries over to the Kuomintang or to the country rather than remaining in the hands of Chiang's heirs. The Kuomintang would not comment on the suggestion, saying it would not interfere in the Chiangs' family matters. As for the possibility of the diaries being taken over by the state, legal experts said the two Chiangs' diaries were basically private property and would have a hard time being defined as national files or documents under the country's Archives Act. (Dec. 1, 2010). 