Office of the Historian

893.00/1–1349: Airgram

The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State

Nanking, January 13, 1949.
[Received February 7—12:01 a. m.]

A–12. We are concerned lest proclamations of People’s Liberation Army which have been circulating during past month or more in Shanghai, Tsingtao, Peiping, and Tientsin be misconstrued as representing basic CCP policy. As reported in Emb despatch 520, December 29,81 these proclamations all stem out of the proclamation issued just before capture of Tsinan last September and are part of CCP program of softening up major cities. In general these proclamations, which have so far been issued by ranking CCP military commanders, prescribe regulations to be followed by citizens in newly occupied cities. They contain threats against war criminals and disorderly [Page 46] elements and promise good treatment to those who cooperate. Of particular interest to the US Government are promises of protection for foreign religious, business, and diplomatic establishments. Some promises are already being negated. For instance, we deduce from communication blockade of the American, British, and French ConGens, Mukden that they are being accorded a very poor form of protection. We also regard as poor form of protection CCP lip service to freedom of religion while simultaneously encouraging anti-religious propaganda in some areas.

As indicated above we regard these proclamations only as tactics. The basic theory or program of CCP is much more broad and uncompromising. In support of this we quote Mao Tze-tung himself. In his article for the Cominform journal last November commemorating the 31st anniversary of October Revolution, Mao gave in following order tasks of CCP: “To unite all revolutionary forces within whole country to drive out aggressive forces of American imperialism, overthrow reactionary rule of Kmt, and establish a unified democratic people’s republic.82

Stuart
  1. Foreign Relations, 1948, vol. vii, p. 700.↩
  2. In telegram No. 106, January 13, the Ambassador quoted a Communist broadcast denunciation of American foreign policy (893.9111RR/1–1349).↩