Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1945, The Far East, China, Volume VII

893.00/1–2545: Airgram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Hurley)

Washington, February 7, 1945.

A–31. Following is communicated for your information and, in your discretion, for forwarding to John Service⁶⁷ as subject for investigation and future report.

Mao Tse-tung reportedly said in a speech of January 10 that there exists in the “Communist” region “comrades” with different approaches to the problems of the region. He characterized these differences as the “rural approach” and “urban viewpoint”. Favoring the former himself, he comments that those who use the urban viewpoint “produce many unsuitable plans”, ill-adopted to “deal with problems encountered in political, military and economic work”.

Mao’s statements raise the question of whether or not rival factions on basic Communist policies exist or are developing in Communist circles.

Grew

67. Second Secretary of Embassy in China, on detail with U. S. Army Observer Section at Yenan.