893.00/11–1544
The Chargé in China (Atcheson) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 1.]
Sir: Referring to the Embassy’s telegram 1800, November 8, 6 p.m., on the subject of recent reported attacks made by the New Fourth and Eighth Route Communist armies on independent guerrilla forces in Shantung and north Kiangsu Provinces, I have the honor to enclose [Page 694] a copy of a memorandum of comment on this subject dated November 10, 1944,69 made by Mr. Han Ming, liberal journalist formerly with Central News Agency and by Mr. Li Tzu-lien, Chungking representative of independent guerrilla force in the Weihsien district, Shantung, to an officer of the Embassy.
Summary of Memorandum. The Communist armies are reported to be attacking the various independent guerrilla forces in Shantung and north Kiangsu Provinces in an effort to monopolize all resistance to the Japanese in North China. It is also asserted that the Communists are not over-desirous of final victory over the Japanese until their hegemony in Shantung has been definitely established and are therefore playing for time. Wang Yu-min, commander of 30,000 independent guerrilla troops in northern Shantung, is said to claim that he could be of considerable assistance to American forces in the event of a landing on the Shantung coast by severing lines of communication and preventing the bringing up of Japanese reinforcements. Wang desires to establish contact with American intelligence units and has expressed the hope that suitable officers be dropped by parachute in the region under his control for investigation and discussion of possible coordinated moves. End of Summary.
The data contained in the memorandum was obtained principally from Mr. Li Tzu-lien, a local representative of the independent guerrilla troops under Commander Wang Yu-min who assisted in the escape of Messrs. Arthur W. Hummel and L. Tipton70 from the civilian internment camp at Weihsien, Shantung (Embassy’s despatch no. 3072, October 18, 194469), and may therefore present a prejudiced outlook. The possibility, and even probability, of such attacks by Communist armies in an effort to liquidate the remaining independent partisan troops in this area of disputed control has, however, been substantiated by an informed American officer of considerable experience in China who has recently returned from Yenan. This officer stated that the Communists are extremely anxious to gain hegemony of all resistance to the Japanese in Shantung Province, as they have in other areas north of the Ping-Han railroad, and that they would balk at no means to attain this end. He also gave as his opinion that time was playing into the hands of the Communists, as they gradually increase their sphere of influence and organize popular support in the occupied areas, and that they might be opposed to a conclusion of hostilities with the Japanese as long as there exist in Shantung groups of organized guerrillas who would probably cooperate with the Central Government after peace.
The question raised by Messrs. Tipton and Hummel of devising feasible means of forwarding money and medical supplies to Commander [Page 695] Wang for delivery to the civilian internees at Weihsien, together with communications equipment for establishing direct contact with Chungking, has been discussed with the British military authorities, American relief organizations and U. S. Army Headquarters. It is understood that Colonel Dickey, head of the intelligence section of local U. S. Army Headquarters, has approached General Chennault with the request that a suitable plane be made available for the trip at which time Commander Wang’s two messengers who brought the reports from Tipton and Hummel could be dropped by parachute in Shantung with the requested money and supplies. The British authorities state that they can provide the sum of 1,000 pounds monthly for the relief of the internees and the Red Cross has offered the needed medical supplies. It is hoped that additional funds for the use of the American internees will be made available by the relief organizations represented in Chungking.71
A copy of the enclosed memorandum is being forwarded to U. S. Army Headquarters, China Theater, for its information.
Respectfully yours,
- Not printed.↩
- Arthur W. Hummel, Jr., American, of Fu Jen University, Peiping, and L. Tipton, British, of Yu Tsoong Tobacco Co.↩
- Not printed.↩
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In a memorandum dated January 6, 1945, Augustus S. Chase of the Division of Chinese Affairs commented:
“While there would seem to be no political ground for objecting to utilization of independent groups to get supplies to internees, the question of cooperation with them is quite a different matter. It should be borne in mind: that the independent groups’ accusations against the ‘Communists’ deserve no more credence than the ‘Communists’’ assertions; that the success of the ‘Communists’ in expanding their forces at the expense of other groups is obviously less the result of ‘impressment’ than of persuasion[;] that the ‘Communist’ armies offer better treatment and more effective work against the Japanese; that it is to the ‘Communists’ that we owe most of the resistance in north China; and that it would be folly to prejudice our relations with the ‘Communists’ by dealings with unimportant groups which do not even offer formal allegiance to Chungking. It would be proper, however, on the grounds of military exigency, for assistance to be given to these, and any other, groups which might offer cooperation upon the actual landing of American forces on the coasts of their areas.”
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