Marshall Mission Files. Lot 54–D270

Memorandum by General Chou En-lai to Lieutenant General Alvan C. Gillem, Jr.

Subject: To protest against further entry of Government forces into Manchuria in violation of Truce Agreement and to request the United States to immediately withdraw transportation facilities in this connection for the sake of implementing truce and army reorganization.

1.
Prior to the signing of the Cease Fire Agreement on January 10th, General Chang Chun, the former Government representative, has declared that the Government forces to be sent into Manchuria would not comprise a large figure. On subsequent discussions between the Government and the U. S. Forces, it was decided to send only five armies into Manchuria. Then, in February, the official document of the Army Reorganization Plan63 specified that the Government may have only five armies to garrison Manchuria, and when General Marshall was discussing with me on the implementation of Cease Fire in Manchuria in March, I was told that, according to General Wedemeyer, it would need at least three to four months before the Government’s desire of sending one or two additional Government armies into Manchuria can be complied with, and it would therefore constitute in no way an impedance to truce implementation at this moment. In connection with the signing of the Directive to the Executive Headquarters64 regarding the Entry of Field Teams into Manchuria I have again repeatedly stated that Government forces in Manchuria should not exceed five armies, and in response, General Chang Chih-chung remarked that the Government forces in Manchuria would only consist of five armies.
2.
However, in the light of the present situation, the Government has already violated this statement seeing that the Government forces in Manchuria have by now actually exceeded the pre-assigned figure, and reached seven armies, which are: the 13th, 52nd, 94th, New 6th, [Page 720] New 1st, 71st, and New 27th armies—the dominating part of which are American-trained and equipped. Even in the light of the Army Reorganization Plan, it has exceeded the strength of five armies.
3.
Furthermore, according to a memorandum of General Cheng Kai-ming, Government commissioner of the Executive Headquarters, and a notification of General Byroade, the U. S. Forces Headquarters shall move by sea four additional Government armies, viz: the 2nd, 5th, 93rd, and 60th armies into Manchuria. In this way, Government forces in Manchuria shall soon reach eleven armies. No matter what explanation is given for this move, it cannot be denied that this constitutes a violation of the general spirit and principle of our agreements, and an aggravation of the civil war crisis in Manchuria, thereby turning the truce agreement into a piece of sheer waste paper.
4.
In view of this fact, I am lodging herewith a protest against the foregoing actions, and I propose that a meeting of the Conference of Three be immediately convened with a view to resolve this matter. It is our aspiration that the Government forces in Manchuria should not exceed five armies, and any force in excess of that strength should be withdrawn, while others, which have not yet been moved, should be stopped from movement, so that the thorough execution of the Cease Fire Agreement might be facilitated and the field teams be eased of the complications in making fair readjustment. In case the U. S. Forces Headquarters shall continue to move Government troops into Manchuria, we would deem such action as a change of the U. S. policy toward China, and lack of faith on the part of the Government to implement a real truce in Manchuria. Consequently we shall feel obliged to contemplate seriously what countermeasures we shall have to take.

I would deeply appreciate if you would favor me with your comment on this matter.

Faithfully yours,

[Signature in Chinese]
(
Chou En-lai
)
  1. February 25, p. 295.
  2. March 27, p. 603.