893.00/10–244
Memorandum by Mr. Augustus S. Chase of the Division of Chinese Affairs
Reference Chungking’s despatch no. 3030, October 2, 1944.75
The enclosure (General Impression of Chinese “Communist” Leaders) is well worth reading. One can hardly fail to be impressed with the sterling qualities of the “Communist” leaders as appraised by Mr. Service (and many other observers). However, it must be admitted that some of their qualities (strong cohesive unity, absence of personal rivalries, effacement of the individual, uniformity of thought and lack of humor) seem almost closer to totalitarian than to American democratic mentality. It would be interesting to know to what extent such qualities reflect inevitable consequences of “Communist” Party training which may be expected to remain a permanent feature of “Communist” leadership. It is to be hoped that they represent, rather, characteristics which harsh circumstances have forced “Communist” leadership to adopt in self-defense, and which, with the easing of such circumstances, may give place to a mentality more adaptable to development of a democracy based on the free interplay instead of the regimentation, of political thought.