893.00/15416
The Second Secretary of Embassy in China (Penfield) to the Secretary of State 66
[Received June 19.]
Sir: I have the honor to report hereunder on recent local “small party” political activity.
Summary. A “small party” representative from Chungking recently made an unusually frank plea to a small group of Chinese and foreigners at Chengtu for support for a projected effort to reform the Central Government along democratic lines. Other “small party” representatives have talked along similar lines and have indicated that they are anxious to maintain contact with foreigners. End Summary.
A few days ago I called at the house of a local foreign resident, upon invitation, “to meet a friend from Chungking.” A small group was assembled there which included the British Consul, one or two Chinese and a few foreigners, most of them connected with local educational institutions. It transpired that the “friend from Chungking” was a member of the National Salvation Group who said that she had come to Chengtu ostensibly on other business but actually to endeavor to enlist sympathy for a movement sponsored by the “small parties” and other “progressive groups” to bring pressure on the Central Government to set up a true united front Government which would include independents as well as representatives of all organized political groups. She spoke for half or three quarters of an hour but as it appeared from her remarks that the substance of her group’s [Page 442] plans has already been communicated to the American and British Embassies at Chungking, and as similar plans have been reported in recent months from both Chungking and Kweilin, only the high points of her discourse will be summarized here.
Her talk was, in effect, a plea for foreign sympathy and assistance in connection with her group’s aim of forcing a reformation of the Chinese Government along democratic lines. She suggested, for instance, that foreigners connected with the Universities might be able to explain to liberal minded students the gravity of China’s internal political situation and to arouse them to action similar to student demonstrations of former years.
Another surprising statement which she made was that her group plans to seek the cooperation of local war lords. When questioned on this point she admitted that the war lords stand for the very opposite of the ideals of democracy and freedom for which her group is struggling, but she explained that they are jealous of and opposed to increasing Central Government authority and that their support is necessary to the success of the democratic movement. She further maintained that if this policy of fighting fire with fire enabled her group to break the power of the fascist elements in the National Government the war lords themselves would be much more likely than the present Government to allow the gradual development of a less centralized democratic government—especially as, she asserted, many of the subordinate officers of these war lords hold sincerely liberal views.
The speaker was questioned on some of the points she raised but the only expression of opinion in regard to her plea for support was a statement which I felt it appropriate to make that although the United States Government and the American people generally are very anxious to see a united democratic China, American policy has been strongly and consistently opposed to unwarranted interference in the internal political problems of other nations.
The speaker’s whole approach was so extraordinarily frank and, in many respects, naive, that one would normally be inclined to view her remarks as at best the rather far fetched scheming of an idealistic dreamer, and at worst, had her credentials or approach given the slightest cause for suspicion, as the machinations of an agent provocateur. Within the past few days, however, I have received indications from two other independent sources that some program such as that she described is being actively considered in Chinese “small party” circles.
During the course of a recent call on Chang Piao-fang (Chang Lan), an elderly non-Kuomintang political leader, Mr. Chang talked along very similar lines. He said that Kuomintang party rule based on fascist principles has alienated the “hearts of the people” and, if [Page 443] continued, will inter alia make it extremely difficult to bring the war to a successful conclusion; therefore, he said, as China looks to the United States for economic and military aid, so democratic elements in China now also look to the United States for political assistance.
Some days ago I met casually at a reception the editor of the (Chengtu) Hsin Chung Kuo Erh Pao (New China Daily News), organ of the China Youth Party. Without special encouragement from me he has since called on me twice, has given me China Youth Party literature, and has offered to arrange a meeting for me with Li Hwang, the leader of this party (at the moment on a visit to Chungking), who, he intimated, is anxious to get in touch with foreigners.
Also of incidental interest in connection with this subject is the Hsin Chung Kuo Erh Pao editorial a translated excerpt of which was enclosed with my despatch no. 57 to the Embassy of May 26, 1944, in which the hope is expressed that Vice President Wallace, during his visit to China, will gain some understanding of and make some contribution to China’s democratic movement.
Judging from the lack of information in the files of this office on “small party” activities in Chengtu, and from conversations on Chinese politics which I have had since my arrival here, this apparent eagerness to involve foreign nationals and governments in Chinese internal political problems is a recent maneuver on the part of the “small party” politicians. Its extent and its significance in the national picture can, of course, best be evaluated by the Embassy.
Respectfully yours,
- Approved by the Ambassador in China for transmission to the Department.↩