893.00/4–149: Airgram
The Consul General at Hankow (Callanan) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 3—11:19 a. m.]
A–0015. The Central China military front, quiescent for several months, was the scene of renewed activity on the part of the Communists during the past month. While prevailing opinion in both military and civilian quarters is still that the Communists will not launch a direct attack on the Wuhan area in the near future, recent moves on their part indicate that further isolation of Wuhan is in [Page 222] the making. The focal point of the current Communist attack is Anking, the fall of which would effectively block further river communication with Nanking and Shanghai. In fact, river traffic has already been interrupted as the Communists now occupy “Christmas island”, which lies astride the main navigation channel about eight miles upstream from Anking. On March 30, the last commercial steamer to pass this island, the San Peh Company’s Ta Ch’ing, was fired upon and two persons aboard were killed and eight injured. According to an executive of this company, the Communists already occupy the north bank of the Yangtze in two hsien just above Anking. All vessels which had left Hankow for destinations beyond Anking have been halted at Kiukiang.
. . . . . . .