893.00/4–749: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 7—3:50 a. m.]
719. Alacrity with which Communist propaganda has seized upon Nanking student riot April 1 as excuse with which further to darken prospects of peace negotiations lends important substance to belief expressed in Embtel 701, April 4 that incident was instigated by Communists. Their April 2 broadcast from Peiping played up subject even before facts were clearly known in Nanking. But it was their April 4 broadcast which carried their “righteous indignation” to such extreme as to leave no doubt regarding its hypocritical nature and fact that Communists are engaged in substituting for real reasons ostensible reasons to break off peace negotiations at first opportunity.
It seems to us that Communist propaganda has become so violent as to be explicable only on grounds that Communists are attempting to conceal their complicity in student tragedy while simultaneously using it as weapon with which further to intimidate Nationalist Government into practically unconditional surrender or, failing this, as excuse to continue their drive to smash opposition. Only by these postulates can we explain such Communist conclusions as: “(Nanking massacre) again tells Chinese people that if it wants to fight for existence, freedom and peace, it must resolutely, thoroughly, and completely sweep away this pack of man-eating (Kmt war criminal) wild beasts.” “The effective way of exterminating Chiang Kai-shek reactionary bloc is none other than to rely on PLA to capture them alive one by one.” “Nanking massacre clearly shows that no revision must be permitted with regard to all eight terms, above all first term dealing with punishment of war criminals.” “The Nanking reactionary [Page 234] government has very seriously undermined premise for peace negotiations and blocked road to peace with blood and corpses of revolutionary youths.” “PLA is preparing to cross south of Yangtze to sweep away all murderers.” “Day is not far when patriotic peoples sacrificed in Nanking and other massacres will be avenged, and people south of Yangtze and throughout country liberated.”
By way of counterbalance to breast beating of Communists we would like to reaffirm our other conclusion expressed in Embassy’s reference telegram that Government has handled incident with commendable restraint, both before and after its occurrence.
Sent Department; repeated Shanghai 343, Embassy Canton 230.