Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Memorandum by General Marshall to General Chou En-lai
Dear General Chou: Admiral Cooke reports68 that the Marine ammunition dump at Hsin-Ho was attacked on the night of 3 October by an armed group of about 200 men. An undetermined number of this group were armed with rifles and three automatic weapons. One Marine was wounded and 33 cases of small arms ammunition were stolen.
Since the attack, Naval and Marine authorities have conducted a careful investigation. Evidence from one armed attacker, who was wounded and certain captured papers disclosed that the action was a raid conducted by the 3rd Company, Road Protecting Battalion, with headquarters at Tung Feng Tai, 38 miles north of Tangku. Battalion consists of three Companies commanded by Wu Hung, and believed to be part of the 59th Communist Regiment.69
I trust that your representation of this incident will result in prompt and effective measures to preclude further provocative acts of this nature.
- Telegram No. 040703Z, October 7, not printed.↩
- In telegram No. 090107Z, October 9, Admiral Cooke informed General Marshall that it appeared to be “established that Communists were responsible for attack on First MarDiv ammunition dump” and added: “In this case Communists are in no position to accuse Marines of offensive action against them nor of penetrating their liberated areas. I believe we must rind some effective means to stop unprovoked attacks on our forces. In your representation it might be helpful, as a counter and preventive measure, to inform the Communist side that we hold them responsible for these raids, and that while we have no present intention of furnishing the Nationalists with ammunition, we may find it necessary to consider giving the Nationalists two cases of ammunition for every one stolen by Communists if these raids on our ammo dumps continue.”↩