Office of the Historian

893.00/13743: Telegram

The Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart) to the Secretary of State

Peiping, November 28, 1936—noon.
[Received November 28—7:05 a.m.]

577. Embassy’s 572, November 24, 4 p.m. The Suiyuan situation has remained quiet since the capture of Pailingmiao, but both sides appear to be making preparations for future eventualities. The irregular forces at Shangtu are reported to have been reenforced. Chen Cheng, one of Nanking’s most important generals, is reported to be proceeding from Taiyuan to Kweisui for an important conference with the military leaders there. The Military Attaché’s office has been informed that three Nanking divisions have arrived in Suiyuan but have not yet proceeded to the front; and that six Suiyuan and Shansi divisions and two artillery regiments are stationed on the defense line running from Paotow east to Pingtichuan and south to Fengchen.

Upon the occasion of the Tungchow ceremonies (see paragraph 2 of the Embassy’s 572, November 24, 4 p.m.) the five-barred Republican flag was raised. Handbills were dropped from airplanes denouncing the Kuomintang rule and threatening Chiang Kai Shek with the fate [Page 399] which overtook Yuan Shih Kai72 and Chang Hsun.73 A proclamation was issued on the same day over Yin Ju Keng’s signature, castigating Communism, alleging that the Kuomintang is still allied with Communism, and calling for various reforms and economic reconstruction on the basis of local autonomy; a call was issued to the people of China to throw off the Kuomintang rule.

By mail to Tokyo.

Lockhart
  1. President of the Republic, 1912–16, and unsuccessful in his attempt to become Emperor.↩
  2. Unsuccessful in July 1917 in his attempted restoration of the Manchu dynasty.↩