893.00/12–1946: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 19—8:45 a.m.]
2134. Revival of anti-American attacks, commemoration of Sian anniversary, and Chou En-lai’s blast against the Generalissimo were outstanding features of Yenan broadcasts for week ending December 15. At Yenan mass meeting resolution passed proclaiming November 4, date of signature of Sino-American commercial treaty, as “national disgrace day”. Emancipation Daily stated there is still hope for Chinese people to erase this national disgrace by united front against Chiang Kai-shek and by use of same methods employed in liberating north China. Lu Ting-yi, Communist leader in Yenan, told AP correspondent there, “we had long regarded United States as our ally. We had been told that the American Government would keep its word to China—that this was a trait common to the American people. We knew that only men of the caliber of Hitler and systems such as nazism and fascism failed to keep their word. We learned with shocked surprise that our faith in America had been misplaced.…35 The world is moving perceptibly toward the left and [Page 642] liberalism, even within the United States, while Chiang and the American policy makers find themselves alone, isolated in this new world.” Full text of Chou En-lai’s bitter personal attack on Generalissimo and condemnation of American policy on anniversary of Sian incident forwarded in Embtel 2116, December 17.36
Program commemorating Sian incident was object of much attention in broadcasts with one broadcast devoted entirely to abovementioned Chou address and another to uncomplimentary account of Generalissimo’s behavior during period he was being held in Sian. Yang Cheng-min, son of General Yang Hu-Cheng who has been held incommunicado for 10 years as a result of his participation in the incident, addressed people demanding release of his father. He charged National Government with entertaining General Okamura as honored guest in Nanking while Generals Yang and Chang Hsuehliang (the Young Marshal) have been prisoners, and that arrests violated personal pledges of Madame Chiang and T. V. Soong.
According to Yenan headquarters, 47 engagements were fought during November. Hottest areas of fighting were Hopeh–Honan border, North Kiangsu and north of middle Lunghai Railway.
Yellow River returned to news with appeal from border region people’s congress for abandonment of plan to divert river back to old course.
Dept please repeat Moscow.