893.00/7–544
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 15.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to this Embassy’s despatch no. 2610, dated May 25, 1944 on the subject of the current negotiations between representatives of the Chinese communists and the Central Government in Chungking, and to enclose a copy of a memorandum89 covering a conversation between two communist leaders and a member of the Embassy staff.
Summary of enclosure. Contrary to the press release quoting the Minister of Information on the subject issued on June 28, 1944, the statement of Mr. Lin, Chairman of the Border Region Government and the Communist representative in the present negotiations, indicates that the present Chungking-Communist talks have not been continuous—there having been only three conversations, one with Chiang and two with Wang Shih-chieh and Chang Chih-chung—are not progressing favorably, and have in fact reached an impasse. The Communists seek the reorganization of their forces—which they state total 477,500 men—into 18 divisions of 10,000 men each, while the Central Government wishes to scale them down further to 10 divisions. The Communists have asked that the democratically elected governments in the areas which they control be recognized; the Central Government will recognize the Border Region Government as a subordinate part of a Provincial Government, but insists that all other “elected” governments in Communist areas be done away with. The Central Government further requires, Mr. Lin asserts, that after their reorganization the Communist troops are to be re-garrisoned, being concentrated all in one relatively small area north of the Yellow River. This demand would make impractical the classic tactics of the Communists, would render them more vulnerable to Japanese attack, and would amount to the surrender of the areas evacuated and is therefore unacceptable to the Communists, although it has been wired to Yenan for such action as the “Government” there desires. Three minor “desiderata”, the restoration of the Chungking Communist radio station, the relaxation of the blockade around Communist areas, and the release of political [Page 464] prisoners, have been ignored by the Central Government representatives. Rather than an improvement in the present feeling between Chungking and Yenan, there are some signs of deterioration, such as the increased severity of the press censorship. End of Summary.
Although he was naturally stating his side of the case, Mr. Lin impressed the member of the Embassy staff who interviewed him as being sincere throughout his statement; even though that statement may not perhaps be sufficiently objective to give a full picture of the negotiations to date, it may at least be safely taken as indicating that they have not proceeded smoothly, and have not brought the problem appreciably closer to solution. In its essence the struggle is one in which the Central Government is apparently seeking by political means to encompass the destruction of the Communists, while the latter are by the same means struggling to insure their survival. With the “democratically elected” local governments in Communist areas done away with, the Border Government under a Provincial Government, and a much scaled-down Communist force concentrated in one place where it would no longer be able to follow its present successful tactics, would be vulnerable to frontal attack by the Japanese, and would be dependent for subsistence on an already impoverished area, the Central Government’s problems vis-à-vis the Chinese Communists would indeed be “solved automatically”.
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩