893.00/4–2046: Telegram
The Consul General at Mukden (Clubb) to the Secretary of State
43. Army organ Peace Daily, Mukden, yesterday carried item designated as Mukden “military news” which with reference Changchun situation stated inter alia, “troop strength of bandit forces exceeds ours by 3 times and, moreover, have 4 or 5 medium-type battle vehicles. Tanks? (With drivers and artillery men of the battle vehicles all being military officers of a certain quarter.) Battle vehicles of their artillery must have been supplied by a certain quarter.”
Leaders of Communist forces were named as Chou Pao-chung, Tsao Li-huai and Chang Ching-ho. Item reported further that one Soviet plane made low level flight over Changchun on 16th, and that “bandit troops” were destroying railway and highway between Ssupingkai and Kungchuling and Pamiencheng.
Editorial in yesterday’s (Kmt Youth Corps) Youth Daily, referring to the disturbed conditions following upon victory with Communists taking advantage of opportunity and with unemployment and doubling of prices in 10 months resulting from stoppage of business and industry, said that agricultural villages had been transformed into hell on earth since occupation by “bandit troops.” Asserted that time of spring crop rains had come but that requisition or splitting up of peasantry’s animals and vehicles, and recruitment into army of peasantry was interfering with spring planting. It was asserted necessary that Government troops quickly restore order in agricultural villages so that planting should not be delayed, with wiping out of bandits and local vagrants, with restoration of order in villages and exchange of goods, commodity prices would naturally fall, and industry and business revive in the towns. Present moribund condition of metropolis (Mukden) said due, in first instance, to economic blockade against it; secondly, because of damage to factories and complete stoppage of goods output with resultant reliance only [Page 784] on existing stocks which daily being depleted, with consequent daily price rise.
Sent Department, repeated Chungking as 15, Peiping as 15, Peiping as 8 for Minister.
- Delayed in transmission.↩