Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Memorandum by the Second Secretary of Embassy in China (Sprouse)
A Communist Party representative has shown to me what he says is the Chinese text of the truce proposal submitted to the Central Government by the Communist representatives: The following is my translation of this document:
Reference is made to the last conference during which both sides (Kuomintang and Communist) discussed terms for the cessation of [Page 827] civil strife without any results being achieved. Therefore, now that the Kuomintang and Communist representatives are at the present time opening discussions, the Communist Party first specially proposes to the Government an unconditional cessation of hostilities with the following three points in order to satisfy the great hopes of the people in China and abroad and to aid in the success of the Political Consultative Conference:
- 1.
- Both sides to issue orders to their troops throughout the nation and that those troops shall remain for the time being in their original (present) positions and shall cease all military conflict.
- 2.
- All questions which are related to the avoidance of civil war—such as, acceptance of surrender, disarming of enemy troops, disbanding puppet armies, the cessation of use of enemy and puppet troops, the demarcation of areas where various troops are to be stationed, the restoration of communications, the transportation of troops and liberated and recaptured areas—all these shall be decided through peaceful negotiations after the cessation of military conflict.
- 3.
- In order to ensure the complete realization of the first point and to facilitate the carrying out of the second point, a national commission composed of representatives of all circles for the investigation of civil war shall be organized under the direction of the Political Consultative Conference to proceed to every place where civil war has broken out in order to carry out investigations on the spot. This Commission shall from time to time report the real facts (of the situation) and make public such reports.