711.93/3–947: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 10—7:40 a.m.]
501. This telegram summarizes American participation in evacuation of Communists from National Govt areas. On February 6, Embassy formally notified National Govt and Communist delegation in Nanking of American offer to assist in returning authorized Communist personnel to reasonably accessible CCP areas and National Govt field personnel to stations of origin until March 5. This offer was in recognition of our moral responsibility for personnel associated with American mediation effort.
By February 21 all Communist personnel formerly connected with Executive Headquarters had been returned to CCP areas, and National Govt field personnel associated with Executive Headquarters had been returned to stations of origin. The problem was then reduced to evacuating 167 authorized Communist personnel from Nanking, Shanghai and Chungking. This number was based upon an official memorandum from General Chou En-lai to General Marshall41 listing the Communist personnel in these three cities who were associated with the mediation effort and for whom airlift to Yenan would be required in case of emergency. Evacuation of this personnel was delayed by inability of National Govt and CCP to formalize their desires in the matter. First request for evacuation from these three cities was received on February 26 and involved only 25 persons. Actually Communists were seeking for obvious reasons to remain in the three cities as long as possible. The Govt wished them to evacuate for equally obvious reasons but hesitated formally to require their evacuation because of propaganda attacks which would result. However, on February 28, National Govt, seeing no other course open, formally notified the Communist delegations in Nanking, Shanghai and Chungking that they must close their offices and evacuate National Govt [areas by ?] March 5.
Immediately the Communists requested American airlift for the 167 persons contained in General Chou En-lai’s memorandum to General Marshall. An airlift schedule was arranged which permitted [Page 723] evacuation of this personnel to Yenan during period March 4 to 7 inclusive. This schedule required a 2-day extension of the original deadline for American assistance. The National Govt agreed to support the American plan and guaranteed that rigid surveillance at that time imposed on Communist delegations would not be enforced to the extent of interfering with implementation of our schedule.
It then developed that garrison commanders in Nanking, Shanghai and Chungking were requiring the evacuation of additional persons [who] were engaged primarily in party activities and their presence apparently was not desired by garrison commanders for security reasons. The Communists requested that US furnish airlift for these additional persons; this request was approved in part only since it was considered inappropriate for US to undertake indiscriminate mass evacuation of Communists. Embassy did agree, however, to an increase of 46 in the number of persons to be evacuated in order to accommodate all possible borderline cases. Arrangements were then made whereby National Govt agreed to furnish air transportation to Yenan of the 162 additional persons whom the garrison commanders were requiring to evacuate.
During this entire period, Embassy was engaged in active and prolonged negotiations with Generalissimo’s office, the Communist delegation in Nanking, and by telegraph with Yenan. Among other things these negotiations resulted in the release of Tung Pi-wu from house arrest in Shanghai in time to permit his return to Nanking to coordinate details for Communist evacuation and an alleviation of conditions under which Communist personnel in Shanghai were held.
Because of weather and technical operating difficulties, evacuation of Communists by American aircraft was not completed until March 8. All persons for whom US had assumed responsibility reached Yenan without incident. The National Govt was scheduled to complete by March 9, weather permitting, the airlift of 162 individuals for whom it had assumed responsibility.
The Yenan liaison group, a subordinate agency of Executive Headquarters, was withdrawn on March 8 except Colonel Sells,42 who is remaining there for several days in an attempt to expedite arrangements for the release of two assistants43 captured by Communist forces near Changchun on February 28. Embassy did not wish to remove its last direct connection with the Communist Party at a time when the situation of these two officers was uncertain. Nevertheless Colonel Sells will be withdrawn at such time as it appears that Communist Party is withholding release of these officers in order to retain for other purposes an American Liaison Agency in Yenan.44