Office of the Historian

893.00/14594: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

Chungking, November 6, 1940—11 a.m.
[Received 2:20 p.m.]

571 [561]. My 543, October 24, noon.

1.
During the course of an hour’s conversation last evening with General Ho Ying-chin, Chief of Staff of the Chinese Army and concurrently Minister of Military Administration, I asked him to elucidate on the subject of the existing relationship between the National Government and the Chinese Communists. He replied that he had for some time been negotiating with Communist representatives in relation to this problem. The National Government he asserted makes two chief demands of the Communists: (1) that the Communist forces will immediately obey the instructions of the National Government; and (2) that they stop fighting friendly forces and direct their attacks against the Japanese. In addition, General Ho said, the Government desires that the Communists conduct the new Fourth Army from the Central Provinces into Hopeh, Shansi and Chahar. He went on to say that an order to that effect had been telegraphed yesterday, November 5th, to the Communist headquarters in the Yangtze area to move into North China. He indicated that he was not altogether certain whether the Communist Army in Central China would comply with this instruction which, he said, had the approval of the Chungking Communist representative (Chou En Lai) [Page 431] but probably not that of the Honan authorities (Mao Tse Tung). General Ho declared that the Chinese Communists for their part had two main demands: (1) delimitation of their sphere of control in North Shensi; and (2) recognition and maintenance by the National Government of an enlarged reingratiated [reintegrated?] Communist Army. He explained that the national authorities were prepared to create a special area in North Shensi comprising 18 hsien which would be governed by a special delegate (Chuan Yuan) recommended by the Communists and appointed by Chungking and to “recognize” an increase in the strength of the 18th Group Army from 3 to 6 divisions (say about 100,000 men) and augmentation of the new Fourth Army (now officially comprised of 4 regiments) by 1 division; but he emphasized that granting terms would be contingent on compliance by the Communists with the desiderata of the central authorities as outlined above.
2.
With regard to reports of a clash in North Kiangsu, General Ho asserted that recently units of the 18th Group Army advancing southward from South Shantung and new Fourth Army forces advancing northward in North Kiangsu had launched a simultaneous attack on the forces of General Han Te Chin, Chairman of the Kiangsu Provincial Government. He said the Communists had precipitated the clash in an endeavor to expand their territorial control, but he went on to say that hostilities between the two opposing armies had now been brought to a halt.
3.
The informant said that the Chinese Communists were openly propagating their doctrines in the areas under their control and secretly carrying on propaganda in other areas. He said the Chinese Communists and representatives of the Soviet Union took pains not to associate openly, but he asserted that the Chinese Communists maintain close relations with the Third International which he observed must have close connections with the Moscow Government.

Sent to the Department only.

Johnson