Marshall Mission Files. Lot 54–D270
Notes on Meeting Between General Marshall and General Yu Ta-wei at No. 5 Ning Hai Road, Nanking, July 8, 1946, 6 p.m.
Nanking, July 8, 1946, 6 p.m.
| Also present: | Colonel Caughey |
- 1.
- General Yu Ta-wei handed General Marshall a copy of a Communist bulletin87 containing anti-American propaganda directed against American support of the Kuomintang Party. General Yu also gave General Marshall a copy of orders88 issued by the Generalissimo on 3 July reiterating the 7 June non-aggressive action order.
- 2.
- General Marshall gave General Yu copies of two extracts of the meeting he had had with General Chou En-lai in the afternoon. One extract contained General Chou’s statements regarding early reconvention of the PCC. The other contained General Chou’s statements relative to a conference between himself and other Communist representatives and Dr. Wang Shih Chieh, General Chen Cheng and Mr. Shao Li-tze for the purpose of resolving the local administration problem.
- 3.
- General Marshall told General Yu that he had gotten a rather complete report of the status of negotiations in the conference just referred to but that he had not yet heard from the Government participants. He asked General Yu to make an appointment for him with the Government representatives tomorrow so that he could discuss the situation.
- 4.
- General Marshall continued by stating he was afraid that the [Page 1325] conference discussed too many subjects rather than adhering specifically to the question of civil administrations in areas vacated by Communist forces. General Marshall added that it would be necessary for everyone concerned to concentrate seriously in the next few days on the question of resolving the various documents presently before the Committee of Three. He stated that this was absolutely necessary in order to bring about a cessation of hostilities in China. General Yu said that the Communists were obviously at fault and pointed out that the Government forces have nowhere, except in Shantung, attacked Communist positions. General Yu asked what alternative was left if the Communists kept up their offensive actions. General Yu told General Marshall that he (General Marshall) was a friend of the Chinese people and of the National Government and that he should not want the Government to end up in an unfavorable position. General Marshall agreed that it was the Communist activities in Shantung that first caused the difficulty and that the Government’s reaction in reinforcing was justified, however he reminded General Yu that the present Government offensive action in Shantung province was very serious and sufficiently intense to evoke retaliatory measures by the Communists in other parts of China. General Marshall added that the situation north of Hankow was entirely different; that the forces being attacked by the National Government are surrounded and the seriousness of this situation, in view of the Loshan agreement,89 could possibly have been prevented by more complete cooperation on the part of the National forces. General Marshall also reminded General Yu Ta Wei of the Government’s advances in Manchuria toward the end of May. General Marshall emphasized that the biggest difficulty in connection with military operations was the policy of force openly advocated by many of the Government leaders.
- 5.
- General Yu summed up by stating, “If the Communists continue, they must take the consequences. I hate to say it, but it is a fact that the Government will resort to aggressive action.” General Yu stated that the Generalissimo had been very patient and that he too was inclined to resort to aggressive action if the Communists do not cease their operations.
- 6.
- General Marshall concluded by stating that his major concern rests with the 450 million Chinese people who will be the sufferers if agreement is not reached. General Marshall pointed out that the major military agreements have already been passed on and that the remaining outstanding military questions should be resolvable. These outstanding issues are the question of Chengte, the question of [Page 1326] North Kiangsu. The problem of civil governments was the great difficulty. General Marshall stated that he was disappointed that the conference consisting of Communists and National Government representatives had not been able to reach agreement regarding local civil governments. He pointed out that the North Kiangsu refugee problem apparently being balanced against total civil war. General Marshall indicated his regret that a solution to the problem lay so close at hand and yet, at the moment, it appeared that China was on a verge of a civil war.