893.00/15402
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 2.]
Sir: Referring to the Embassy’s despatch No. 2171 of February 16, 1944, transmitting Kuomintang documents48 attacking the Chinese Communist Party, I have the honor to enclose49 (a) copy of a report dated April 26, 1944, prepared by the Military Attaché in regard to specific charges against the Chinese Communists obtained through Chinese military sources and (b) copy of a memorandum of May 4, 1944, written by Second Secretary John S. Service, on detail to General Stilwell’s staff, commenting on the charges contained in the Military Attaché’s report.
Summary. Mr. Service explains that although the Military Attaché’s report describes the charges against the Chinese Communists as unconfirmed, the report might be interpreted as supporting present Kuomintang claims that the Chinese Communists, with Soviet support, have entered into an agreement with the Japanese. Mr. Service then goes on to describe the outward evidences of tension existing between the Central Government and the Chinese Communists and (using Japanese reports) shows the inaccuracy of the statement that there has been since the middle of March a marked decrease of Japanese-reported operations by Japanese forces against the Chinese Communist troops. He refers to Kuomintang charges that the Communists are equipped with Russian arms, that Russian planes likely maintain a regular schedule to Yenan, that the Japanese have effected “some sort of an agreement with the Chinese Communists”, that the [Page 426] newly-created province of Hwaihai in east China is to be a Chinese Communist country backed by Russia and Japan and that the Soviet-Japanese fishing and oil pacts in March pointed to some understanding between Russia and Japan and the Communists and shows the absurdity of these charges. These charges are felt to be part and parcel of the new “Kuomintang line” which attempts to convince foreign opinion that the Communists are actually in league with the Japanese and puppets with Soviet support. Propaganda emanating from the Japanese and puppets appealing for a united front with the Nanking regime and the Japanese in order to liquidate the Communists and rid China of Anglo-American influence is directly contradictory to such charges. It is generally admitted among Chungking officials that the Kuomintang itself is in contact with the puppets and Japanese and openly expects to receive puppet cooperation at the opportune time. A particularly revealing instance of the Central Government-puppet connection was furnished recently when the U. S. Army Headquarters was given by the Chinese authorities a map of Shantung Province showing the puppet areas (i. e. the Japanese controlled zone) as the only safe areas in which American air crews might land, with the explanation that practically all of the puppets in Shantung were friendly and that other sections of the province (Communist-controlled) were unsafe, “enemy” territory. End of Summary.
It is believed that the charges by the Chinese authorities against the Chinese Communists, as described in the Military Attaché’s report, are but another example (Embassy’s despatch No. 2530 of May 350) of the effort of the Central Government to spread anti-Communist, and by implication and innuendo, anti-Soviet feeling both among Chinese and foreigners and to attribute to the Communists and Soviet Russia much of the blame for China’s present serious plight.
Respectfully yours,