Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270: Telegram
Lieutenant General Alvan C. Gillem, Jr., to General Marshall
1715. Arrived in Peiping today with second rate representatives of other two branches. General Chen Cheng could not make the trip due to illness. At 7 a.m. this morning General Chou En-lai stated he could not accompany because of following:
Two days ago a Chinese Air Force transport hauling 10 Communists including 2 high-ranking political representatives disappeared en route from Chungking to Yenan. Search has been made with no results. Chou En-lai had previously felt that with the presence of his top-flight political representatives in Yenan he could spare time for the trip. With the disappearance and apparent death of these members he could not see his way clear to leave Chungking as constitutional matters were pending and indicated he might be called immediately to Yenan to handle political matters which the ill-fated group were scheduled to undertake. Chou En-lai indicated that Commissioner Yeh of Executive Headquarters would represent him on [Page 755] this trip. Upon my arrival in Peiping I find that General Yeh is without doubt too ill to make this trip.
The above facts leave the Committee of Three represented by General Chin as National Government member and General Chen as Communist member. They are without authority, power or prestige.
Under the above conditions I am certain it would be a grave mistake to continue this trip on to Manchuria. Such a trip could accomplish nothing and would certainly have some deleterious effects. Due to failure to arrive at any agreement on Manchuria before leaving Chungking with the principal members of the Committee of Three, present delegation, being unable to issue clarifying instructions, would present only an attitude of weakness in conferring with commanders and field teams. Two teams have departed Mukden but only to observe disposition of troops. They were unable to reach any agreements on action to be taken pending decisions on basic questions involved by Committee of Three.
The illness of General Chen Cheng, the plausible excuse for General Chou En-lai’s failure to accompany the Committee, and the illness of Commissioner Yeh give us an excellent out in connection with the press for not continuing our trip to Mukden. I will delay present committee here in Peiping in conference on other and important problems of Executive Headquarters until instructions are received from you regarding continuation of this trip. I repeat that I am convinced that continuation of trip with present personnel and under present conditions into Manchuria would be a mistake. Both Robertson and Byroade emphatically concur.