Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Memorandum by General Chou En-lai to General Marshall
Chungking, 26 April 1946.
My Dear General Marshall: Your memorandum dated April 22,3 concerning the situation in Kwangtung is referred. With exception of the Hainan problem, which is subject to further discussion among the Committee of Three, I wish to submit the following for consideration at this moment:
- 1.
- As a matter of urgency, the financial needs of the 2,400 men to be evacuated must be settled in the first place. According to Colonel Caughey, General Byroade has informed him that Executive Headquarters will initiate immediate action to procure 1 billion CNC dollars for this purpose. Now, with a view to expedite the evacuation, I wonder, if Executive Headquarters may not first arrange with the Government to allocate 500,000,000 CNC dollars for this purpose, while the monetary needs of the demobilized personnel will be met at a later time.
- 2.
- It seems advisable that Tamshui and Lung Kang, the two places bordering on the Tapeng Peninsula, should not be garrisoned with a heavy force (not more than one battalion at Tamshui, and one regiment of gendarmes at Lung Kang), lest the evacuating troops shall be threatened en route, and untoward incidents happen.
- 3.
- Owing to the poor health of the Communist personnel resulted from the hardships they had gone through during the war, the Communist troops in Kwangtung request, that the medical screening shall not be carried to such a measure as to prevent the boarding of those [Page 646] physically weak or slightly-illed, it being understood though that those suffering from infectious disease should be withheld.4
Your comments on the foregoing points shall be appreciated.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature in Chinese]
(
(
Chou
En-lai
)