Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Memorandum of Meeting Between the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Wang Shih-chieh) and General Marshall, May 23, 1946, 5 p.m.
Dr. Wang stated that he hoped General Marshall would continue to exert his utmost pressure to secure an agreement which would terminate hostilities. He added that he hoped General Marshall would triple his efforts.
Following a general discussion on the situation in Manchuria as then known, in relation to the possibility of the Central Government troops attempting to capture Changchun, Dr. Wang stated that he had talked to the Generalissimo and both the Generalissimo and Dr. Wang thought that it would be the wrong thing for the Central Government troops to make such an assault, and for that reason the Generalissimo had gone to Mukden.
Following a discussion of the point of view of various Kuomintang leaders, Dr. Wang illustrated his own views by quoting a discussion he had had in 1942 with Sir Stafford Cripps,82 which was to the effect that the Government should accept the Communist Party in a coalition arrangement.
On his departure, Dr. Wang again stated his hope that General Marshall would continue his pressure to secure an agreement between the Government and the Communist Party to terminate hostilities, and that he would increase his effort many fold.
- At that time British Ambassador in the Soviet Union.↩