893.00/9–144
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 15.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s despatch no. 2840, August 7, 194448 on the subject of the Kuomintang–Communist negotiations, and to enclose a translation of a press interview49 which appeared in the Chieh Fang Jih Pao (the Liberation Daily, Chinese-Ian guage Communist organ published in Yenan) given by Mr. Chou En-lai, member of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, in which he sets forth the Communist answer to the statement to the press made on July 26, 1944 by the Kuomintang Minister of Information, Mr. H. C. Liang, a copy49 of which statement was enclosed in the despatch under reference.
Summary of enclosure. Mr. Chou states that the existence of negotiations indicates a slight improvement in relations between the Central Government and the Communists, but that not a single concrete issue has been settled. The two parties are widely apart in principle; the Communists want the realization of democracy, while the Kuomintang clings to the policy of one-party rule and the weakening of political opponents. This is the real barrier to agreement, rather than the failure of the Communists to keep their promises. The minutes of the Sian talks cannot be taken as an agreement. The Communists’ twenty points, not being acceptable to the Kuomintang, were shortened to twelve, and were handed on June 5, 1944 to the Kuomintang representatives, at the same time that the latter handed to Mr. Lin Tsu-han the proposals of the Government. The proposals of the two parties are separated by a wide gulf, in view of which fact the Communist Central Headquarters asked General Chang and Dr. Wang to come to Yenan, but they replied that they were awaiting instructions. The Communists welcome Mr. Liang’s repeated statement that there will be no more civil war in China, but there has been fighting since the latter part of January between the troops of General Yen Hsi-shan and the Communists, and in Central China the New Fourth Army has of late been attacked by Kuomintang troops. It is essential [Page 533] that Kuomintang and the Communists cooperate; the solution of the issues between them will be possible when one-party dictatorship is discarded, democracy introduced, and an equitable settlement along democratic lines is reached. End of Summary.
It seems clear from Mr. Chou’s statement that although carried on in a desultory fashion since the beginning of May of this year, these most recent of Kuomintang–Communist negotiations have made no progress and seem doomed to fail unless there should occur a radical change in the Kuomintang attitude. Indeed, the negotiators seem to have been unable to arrive at a basis for negotiations, much less make progress toward settling the details of the issues at stake.
Respectfully yours,