893.00/14956
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Second Secretary of Embassy in China (Drumright)3
I called by appointment on Chou En-lai, Chinese Communist party representative at Chungking, at his official residence yesterday afternoon.
Chou volunteered the information that at present time relations between the Chinese communists and the Chinese National Government are “easier”, but he went on to say that there has been no “practical” change. He said that General Lin Piao, a Chinese communist general of considerable repute, is in Chungking and that the latter has been received by the Generalissimo. He said that the Chinese communist military forces have received no military or financial support from the Chinese National Government for the past three and one-half years. He asserted that there are still occasional military clashes between Chinese communist forces and Chinese National Government troop, chiefly in Kiangsi, Anhwei and Hupeh provinces. He declared that the only National Government troops remaining in North China are the forces of General Yen Hsi-shan in southwestern Shansi and some troops in north Honan, north of the Yellow River. Chou said that General Wei Li-huang had been relieved of his command at Loyang, Honan, because he was too friendly with the Chinese communists and too active against the Japanese forces to suit the wishes of the Chinese high command at Chungking. Chou said that General Wei is now living at Chengtu.
Chou deplored what he asserted to be the present inactive military and economic policy of the Chinese National Government, saying he feared it might be the cause of misunderstanding between China and her allies. He thought that notwithstanding China’s present difficult supply problem, China could be more active in a military way—especially in guerrilla warfare—against the Japanese. In the economic and financial fields, Chou felt that China should increase production—especially of agricultural crops—and should reduce expenditures. But neither of these programs would be followed, he said.
Chou dwelt at some length on possible future Japanese moves: he did not feel that Japan would attack Siberia or India or Australia. He believed that an attempt to crush Chinese resistance is rather more to be expected. He mentioned Yunnan as the most likely objective of Japanese penetration. Changsha and Sian were other possible objectives, he asserted.
[Page 193]Chou remarked that the Japanese are bending every effort to strengthen their position in north China. He said that in 1942 they had carried out a so-called “Fifth Campaign” with a view to eliminating Chinese resistance in north China. Like the other campaigns it had been a failure: the Chinese communists remain in the area. He asserted that a General Chou, Chinese communist vice-commander under Peng Teh-huai in the Tai Hang mountain area of Shansi, had been killed during the campaign. Chou remarked that the Japanese are looting central China of its food resources. He said that the Japanese are utilizing more and more puppet troops in the occupied areas of China, withdrawing Japanese troops to other territory. He remarked that according to intelligence available to him, the 2nd Japanese Division had been recently transferred from North China to the south.
With reference to conditions in Sinkiang province, Chou remarked that General Sheng Shih-tsai, Chairman of the Sinkiang Provincial Government and local satrap for the past ten years, is a very clever man; and he thought that the Chinese National Government would be well advised to move slowly in taking over control of Sinkiang.
When on the point of departing, I remarked that I hoped to be in Sian within the next few months, Chou said that if I cared to go to the special communist area in north Shensi (and could obtain the assent of the National Government authorities), he would be glad, on receipt of word from the Embassy, to arrange for my entry into Yenan. I said that I was interested in a trip to Yenan if it proved to be possible and that I would bear his remarks in mind.
- Copy transmitted to the Department by the Ambassador in China in his despatch No. 912, February 2; received February 23.↩