893.00/12–147: Air gram
The Consul at Hankow (Bacon) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 11—10:33 a.m.]
A–54. Communists successes north of the Yellow River were accompanied by increased activity in Honan and Hupeh. While the Government was successful in clearing the north bank of the Yangtze of Communist elements, so that early in the month the convoying of shipping could be discontinued, Communist troops in western Honan captured Linju and Paofeng on November 4; and by the end of the month Nanyeng, Sinyeh, and Laohokow were seriously threatened. Rumors of their fall were denied by the Wuhan Headquarters.
[Page 381]Guerrilla operations and banditry in northern Honan has reached such proportions that members of an UNRRA agricultural mission at Yencheng, which commands an important bridge on the Pinghan Railway, were notified late in the month by the local authorities that their safety could not be guaranteed after November 30; and one missionary society is preparing to remove valuable equipment from its hospital at that point. The constant movement of large bodies of Government troops in southern Honan with attendant disorganization of local police administration has resulted in frequent appeals for protection from missionary stations, the members of which are in some cases returning to the coast.
In spite of increased Government troop concentrations in Hankow, on November 22 the 2nd, 5th and 7th CP71 Brigades attacked Huang-pei, 20 miles to the north, in a surprise attempt to destroy an entire Government division occupying the town, and in conjunction with other CP troops to cut the Yangtze immediately below Hankow, in the vicinity of the Anglo-American petroleum installations. The attempt was unsuccessful, and many hundreds of Communist prisoners taken, some of whom were marched through the streets of Hankow; but the gravity of the situation was signalized by re-instituting curfew, the arrival of Defense Minister Pai Chung-hsi on November 26 for consultations of interprovincial defense measures, and the commencement of new fortifications about the city, including a moat along its northern boundary. As in Changsha and other cities, a “Bandit Suppression” militia is being organized at Hankow, to be equipped by the National Army and fed and paid by citizens’ contributions; and for this purpose three British and American firms have been requested to make immediate “loans” of sums ranging up to CN$500,000,000, which they have declined on the advice of their respective consulates.
Elections to the National Assembly were held November 21–23 without public incident or interest. The Kmt candidates for the 8 places allotted to the Hankow municipal District received a total of 299,000 votes, of which 51,000 were women’s; an additional 25,000 were cast for an unsuccessful Young China candidate, and 2100 for 3 unaffiliated independents. No Social-Democratic ticket was offered. One woman independent is known to have been warned to withdraw her candidacy on election eve, on threat of kidnapping. The list of candidates “approved” by the Election Commission was published only 5 days before the balloting, resulting in 1) total absence of campaigning; 2) surprise shared almost equally between the public and the aspirants themselves.
- Chinese Communist.↩