893.00/15380: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 19—7:05 p.m.]
865. Press correspondents departed May 17 by plane to Paochi en route Sian and Communist areas. Party included only three regular full-time foreign correspondents44 (excluding Tass representative) to cover for American and British newspapers and American news agencies. Reuters not represented. Votaw (Embassy’s 622–A45) even [is?] taking trip reportedly as representative Baltimore Sun.46
Invitations May 12 from Information Minister to correspondents stated Government wished party to remain North Shensi at least 3 months to enable “complete understanding of conditions there”. In reply to correspondent’s request regarding censorship (Embassy’s 837, May 12), Minister stated existing rules would apply to military affairs; Communist statements on policy would be passed provided accompanied by Kmt46a rebuttal and if not prejudicial to settlement Kmt-Communist differences. No reply to request for immediate check on material deleted by censors Chungking. Lin Pai-hsu and Secretary arrived Chungking May 17 by plane together with Wang Shih-chieh and General Chang Chih-chung. Lin told American correspondent at airport, [that] Chou En-lai would come to Chungking soon and group five Communist representatives left Paochi by truck on 17th en route Chungking.
Some days ago Embassy informally approached Wu Teh-chen, Secretary-General, to arrange for Service [to] join party. He replied that as Government has refused similar requests from other diplomatic missions ours could not be granted.
Editorial in Ta Kung Pao recently pointed to Honan defeat and increased need for unity between two parties and some Chinese observers feel that Honan situation will serve to put pressure on Central Government to adopt more conciliatory attitude. Continuation of discussions between Kmt [and] Communist representatives at [Page 425] Chungking is another encouraging sign but recent indications of intensified private anti-Communist and anti-Soviet propaganda do not point to any genuine desire on the part of Kmt to reach fundamental solution. This anti-Communist propaganda seems to be “officially” as [sic] adhered to by Lin Yutang47 and Wei Tao-ming in United States and observed here by recent publication in party press of alleged Communist attack on Chungking troops, off the record circulation by Central News at Kunming of report Communists had begun attack on Sian and recent distribution to all CEC members of violently anti-Communist documents. Much of this may be attributed to bitter anti-Communist element in Kmt. Whatever action is taken at CEC session scheduled May 20 will depend chiefly on Gmo and at best is not expected to provide more than temporary solution.
- Harrison Forman, American, representing the New York Herald Tribune, the United Press, and the London Times; Guenther Stein, naturalized Briton of German origin, representing the Christian Science Monitor, the Associated Press, and the London News-Chronicle; and Israel Epstein, without nationality, representing Time, the New York Times, Allied Labor News, and the Sydney Morning Herald. ↩
- Telegram No. 622, April 7, 2 p.m., p. 395.↩
- Father Shanahan, American, representing Catholic publications in the United States, was also a member of the party.↩
- Kuomintang.↩
- Chinese author and lecturer.↩