Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Minutes of Conference Between Brigadier General Henry A. Byroade and General Chou En-lai at General Chou’s House, June 13, 1946, 10:45 a.m.
June 13, 1946,
10:45 a.m.
| Also present: | Mr. Chang |
| Captain Soong |
- 1.
- General Byroade said that he sent a radio to the Three Commissioners info Gen. Marshall from Changchun recommending that eight field teams be permitted to move into likely strategic locations during the 15 days truce period. Upon arrival here yesterday, he found that this radio was never received by Gen. Marshall. Consequently, he wired Peiping last night and obtained the radio message but did not [Page 1040] have time to have it translated. Gen. Byroade expressed desire to have authority to move these teams during this truce period so that when the end of the 15 days came, the teams would be in positions to go to where ever necessary. Gen. Byroade said that when he returned to Peiping this time, he spoke to Gen. Yeh about the above, but Gen. Yeh stated that he was not free to give his approval because he did not have enough information regarding Manchuria. He preferred to have this matter handled by Committee of Three. General Byroade emphasized that he just wanted to have the teams moved out and he was not trying to give them any authority that they did not already have. He recommended that teams be moved to Hai-chen, Mukden, Harbin, Tsitsihar, Lafa, area between Changchun and Harbin, Szeping-hai, and Hai-lung.
- 2.
- Gen. Chou said Gen. Marshall had spoken to him regarding this matter yesterday. Gen. Marshall expressed that the three stipulations in the March 27 agreement could be applied to teams in Manchuria very well. To this point, Gen. Chou agreed. Although there was a little confusion caused by misunderstanding between Gen. Hsu and the Generalissimo regarding this issue, Gen. Marshall felt that this could be straightened out very easily.
- 3.
- Gen. Byroade then said that he was not at all familiar with what was going on here in Nanking and that he had had very little opportunity to see Gen. Marshall. But what he was trying to do was to get some kind of an agreement so that the field team in Manchuria could work under it. He reiterated that it would take some time to get the teams out to the field.
- 4.
- Gen. Chou stated that he agreed to the eight teams in Manchuria and that more teams may be required later. Pie expressed desire to have this problem solved so that the Advanced Headquarters at Changchun could move the teams out and allow them to work under the agreement of March 27 to effect cessation of hostilities. Otherwise, they would merely act in an observatory capacity which could not be very effective. There was no argument about the agreement of March 27. The only thing was that under the circumstance at that time, it was not allowed to function. After hostilities ceased, field teams could be sent to Harbin, Lafa, etc. Gen. Chou then said that he would want to have Mr. Li and Gen. Wang to go to Changchun with Gen. Byroade. He also hoped that after arriving at Changchun, transportation could be arranged for Mr. Li to proceed to Harbin to explain to the people there about the functions of field teams. Then, they would welcome General Byroade to pay Harbin a visit with Gen. Wrow [sic].
- 5.
- Gen. Byroade then asked Gen. Chou if the Committee of Three was about to come to an agreement regarding field team activities in [Page 1041] Manchuria which would supercede the agreement of March 27. Gen. Chou replied that there were two procedures under consideration. One would be for the interim period which would allow the field teams there to operate under March 27 agreement and it would also give the Advanced Executive Headquarters a basis to work. Second procedure which General Marshall was still working on, must provide solution for all other problems beside the cessation of hostilities—such as boundaries, separation of the two forces, etc. Gen. Chou then stated that if another agreement would be reached by the Committee of Three, it would not affect the three points in the General Directive of March 27. It would only be an amplification. Gen. Chou reiterated that based on March 27 agreement, team could be immediately dispatched to Faku, Lafa and other areas where fierce fighting was in progress.
- 6.
- Gen. Byroade then recommended that a sentence be added into the proposed agreement by the Committee of Three76 which stated “until further instructed, field teams in Manchuria will operate under Committee of Three General Directive of March 27”. Gen. Chou inquired if arrangement could be made to dispatch teams to Faku and Ti-Lin77 where situation was serious. General Byroade replied that if teams could be put in places stipulated in his recommendation, they could conveniently go to places of trouble. In this instance, teams at Szepingkai and Mukden could go to Faku and Tin-Lin easily. The teams there now were operating under Peiping, consequently, if Gen. Yeh could make a request, field teams could be dispatched to those areas. Gen. Chou asked if the authority over these teams would be shifted upon Gen. Byroade’s return to Changchun. Gen. Byroade replied that he would not want to assume such authority until the Chinese sections of the Advanced Executive Headquarters are there and that Peiping understood that the authority would be shifted when time came. Gen. Chou said part of the Communist people for the Advanced Executive Headquarters would have to come from Peiping and part from Manchuria. Gen. Chou further stated that if Gen. Hsu would agree, Gen. Byroade could go ahead in dispatching the teams to areas desired.
- 7.
- Gen. Byroade inquired if it would be possible for Gen. Yeh to arrange for teams to go to Harbin and Tsitsihar. Gen. Chou replied that he would send Mr. Li to Harbin first and make necessary arrangement for Gen. Byroade and Gen. Wror [sic] to come in a second plane. He was not too positive regarding Tsitsihar. He suggested that the team intended for Tsitsihar be sent to Kirin instead in view of the serious situation there.
- 8.
- Gen. Chou then inquired about the airplane situation in Changchun and also asked if a regular shuttle could be arranged between Nanking and Peiping in view of the increased amount of traffic and poor communication system. Gen. Byroade stated that at present he had three planes in Changchun and that there was no maintenance there. Regarding the shuttle, he promised that he would look into the matter.