893.00/9–2644
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 25.]
Sir: I have the honor to enclose a brochure entitled “Documents on the Problem of the Chinese Communist Party”1 published by the Secretariat of the Chinese Supreme National Defense Council.
This brochure, which General Ho Ying-chin, Chief of the Chinese General Staff and concurrently Minister of Military Administration, handed me a few days ago, contains two reports, two resolutions, a directive issued by the Generalissimo, and thirteen appendices, in regard to the Chinese Communist problem. The brochure is printed in the Chinese language and included as a part of it are English-language translations of the various documents.
All the documents published in the brochure relate to the problem of Kuomintang—Communist relations since the start of the Sino-Japanese war in 1937. Their purpose is obviously to reveal certain phases of the development of Kuomintang—Communist relations and to set forth the Kuomintang point of view toward this complex problem.
The distribution of this brochure, and the open discussion of the Kuomintang—Communist problem at the recent session of the People’s [Page 597] Political Council, mark a new departure in the Kuomintang treatment of the Communist problem. In the past the Kuomintang policy seems to have been to gloss over and hush up this unpleasant question and to make no admission of the existence of internal disunity. Only on one or two occasions has this principle been violated, notably in 1941 when the National Government made public announcement of the disbandment of the Communist New Fourth Army. The Communists, on the other hand, have over a period of years proved very adept and skillful at the dissemination of information and propaganda favorable to their cause. It seems evident that the Kuomintang has at long last come to realize that its handling of the publicity phase of its relations with the Communists has not proved advantageous to its interests, hence the shift from secrecy to publicity. It is to be hoped that a thorough ventilation of this subject, both in China and abroad, will contribute to Chinese unity at a time of grave peril to the nation.
Respectfully yours,
- Not attached to file copy.↩