893.00/1–3148: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:42 p. m.]
192. Reports from Consulate[s] confirm clean sweep National Assembly elections by Kuomintang. Almost no independents reported elected except for few nominated or supported by Kuomintang. Only outstanding exception reported was Tsingtao where independent overwhelmingly defeated CC candidate and was subsequently accused of wartime collaboration with enemy in effort to force his resignation (reDeptel 46, January 1020).
[Page 71]Although nearly all elected delegates were Kuomintang members, considerable number were not those nominated by Central Party Headquarters but candidates with strong support who ran against Kuomintang candidates designated by Nanking or against Kuomintang-supported minor party candidates. In absence careful analysis of as yet unpublished nation-wide election returns, it is impossible determine extent to which this took place but general pattern is now clear.
In Shanghai and generally throughout Kiangsu and Chekiang, stronghold of CC clique, dominance of Central Party Headquarters was unchallenged. CC took majority of seats and largely dictated proportions won by other factions and parties. Party also reported to have met with little opposition in Tsingtao, Peiping, Tientsin and Mukden. In Hankow struggle between two Kuomintang right-wing factions resulted in 60 to 70% seats going to Youth Corps and 30 to 40% to CC, directly reversing pre-election strength these groups. Only Kwangtung, Szechuen and Yunnan exhibited substantial opposition to Kuomintang dictation by defeating considerable number of Kuomintang nominees. In Yunnan, where Consulate reports CC strength steadily decreasing past year, more than half Kuomintang nominees were defeated.
On basis available information, election returns appear to reflect faithfully extent of Central Government control over districts where elections were held: Where Central Government comparatively strong, Kuomintang Central Party Headquarters manipulated elections as it chose; where comparatively weak, local interests asserted themselves in defiance Kuomintang orders. There is no evidence these interests represent either freely-expressed will of people or liberal opposition to dominant right-wing of Kuomintang but their appearance does reveal dissension in ranks. Consequently, party leaders, in effort to enforce party discipline, ensure control of National Assembly by CC clique and satisfy minor parties, have been attempting enforce ex post facto regulation prohibiting party members from running without party nomination but have encountered strong opposition and in two months of negotiation have so far failed to reach satisfactory compromise.
Fact that opposition to CC party leadership has appeared in some areas might be interpreted as indicating a weakening of CC control over the party machine but it seems more likely that this simply brings into open a situation which already existed. Control by CC and other right-wing elements over National Assembly appears assured but extent and character of opposition difficult to determine until Assembly can be observed in action.
- Not printed.↩