Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Memorandum by General Marshall to General Chou En-lai
Subject: Critical Situation in Tai-an
The following personal report of Colonel Lake, U. S. Army of the Tsinan team has been forwarded to me from Peiping:
“Communists claim the right to disarm what they call puppet troops in Tai-an and the other cities in this area. They refuse to follow the terms of Executive Order No. 2. Their tactics have changed and they are now slowly starving the people and the soldiers in the surrounded cities.
General Chen Yi promised me that he would allow food to be brought in provided I (Colonel Lake) supervise its distribution. I [Page 426] took two cars of food to Tai-an from Tsinan and had to release one to the Communists. Fought a mob of about 10,000 Communists for more than two and one-half hours whose mission was to lynch the magistrate of Tai-an, who was a member of my party, and get the food we were taking to civilians in the besieged cities. Two bricks were thrown through the window of the coach while I was pleading with the mob to let things be settled lawfully. Plenty of soldiers around but they did not do a great deal to stop them.
I am of the opinion that above question is grave enough to use every means possible to get the situation cleared. The Communist officers with me did a lot to quiet the people. Thought that I would be able to get the officers to relieve the tension in the town but I failed entirely. I have tried to use reason but it cannot be done.
Steps should be taken at once to require the Communists to withdraw to Tai-an, Yenchow, Changtien, Ti Chow and Liao Cheng. The mob refused to let our train proceed until I would promise to meet two demands: one, give food to the New 4th Army and the 8th Route Army and two, to issue an order allowing the troops inside Tai-an to be disarmed immediately. A close call but luckily everything turned out without bloodshed.”
Colonel Hill, U. S. Army on his return from Tsinan on February 4 reported that General Chen Yi, commanding New 4th Army, Shantung Province, stated substantially, “The provisions of General Order No. 2 are a good thing, but they do not apply in Shantung Province because conditions in Shantung are exceptional. Here we are opposing puppet troops who should be disarmed and the traitors executed.”
Is there any action you could take which would enable the Executive Headquarters teams to carry out their duties without the turbulence and danger of distressing incidents which now threaten?
J. Hart Caughey
Colonel, G. S. C.