324. Telegram From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson in Texas1
CAP 82146. Herewith summary of an analysis by Al Jenkins of the swing to the right in China.2
[Page 702]For the past six weeks or so, and most clearly in the past ten days, there has been the most country-wide shift toward the conservatives yet seen in the past two years. Matters have, in fact, gone so far in the provinces in the direction of the old-liners and under military auspices that one must wonder what is happening to the position of Lin Piao himself. Current policy is certainly different from what he has espoused since 1964.
Revolutionary committees have been set up in the last few days in both Yunnan and Fukien Provinces. Both are completely dominated by the military and each of the chairmen have in the past been under Red Guard criticism.
The Red Guards, on the other hand, have fallen on lean days indeed.
These moves have been accompanied by the strongest measures taken to date by the Army to stop factional fighting. Summary executions have been resorted to in a number of instances. A back-to-work movement appears to have met with limited but perhaps slowly growing success.
Increased army patrol activity has been noted in Peking in recent days, and an important army unit long stationed on the Korean border has been moved into Peking.
There is nothing new on the harvest, except that Peking has entered into urgent negotiations with Australia for wheat deliveries after December. Peking is expected also to negotiate with Canada for further purchases.
There has been speculation that the heavy rains and the natural peak (from melted snows far to the west) might cause devastating floods.