Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Minutes of Conference Between General Marshall and General Hsu Yung-chang at General Marshall’s House, May 4, 1946, 8:15 p.m.
| Also present: | Colonel Caughey |
| Colonel Pee | |
| Captain Soong |
General Marshall informed General Hsu that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss the situation North of Hankow. General Hsu said that he did not believe a critical situation was developing although General Chou had insisted that there was. General Chou believed an attack would take place between 4 and 9 May using 20 divisions of National troops which were massed for that purpose. General Chou insisted that General Hsu wire the Generalissimo, General Pei Chung Hsi and General Ho Ying-chin. General Hsu told General Chou that he would wire the Generalissimo but not General Pei and Ho since he himself is director of military operations, and knew that the accusation was not true.44
General Marshall said that he was convinced that Chou was truly worried. He said he was not in a position to take any action regarding Manchuria and his main interest at this point was to see that the situation did not explode in North China. General Marshall stated that General Chou wanted General Hsu to go with him. General Marshall added that under the circumstances it is best to get to the Communist leader in the area to prove or disprove the point. General Marshall further stated that it is important to place this team in the Communist headquarters.
General Marshall digressed for a moment to discuss with General Hsu the Manchurian situation to illustrate the misunderstandings that can develop. General Marshall stated that the Communists were completely misled as to the number of units moved by U. S. shipping resources; that when General Marshall was able to acquaint him with the facts, General Chou appeared satisfied. General Marshall added that the National Government had been extremely alarmed with reference to possible Russian participation with the Communists’ forces in their attacks against Nationalist troops but that Major Rigg, and an American officer, reported facts quite to the contrary indicating that instead of Russian soldiers it was Japanese soldiers and instead of Russian tanks it was Japanese tanks and instead of Russian arms [Page 814] it was Japanese arms. In this connection General Marshall added that Major Rigg also reported the death of several Russians in Changchun at the hands of Nationalist forces; that it was easy for him to understand why this may have happened, but he was considerably concerned as to the Russian reaction and possible reprisals.
General Marshall then discussed the fear evidenced on each side toward the other side. He stated that a great deal of the fear on the Communist side was caused directly by the National Government’s failure to report troop movements as agreed to in the 10 January Cease Fire agreement. He added that this fear aggravated by other fears directly attributable to National Government actions or failure to act was what gave them concern with respect to the present situation in North Hupeh. Elaborating on the fears of both the National Government and the Communist Party, General Marshall stated that the National Government feared Communist alliance with the Soviets. He added that a fear of the Communists concerned their belief that the National Government did not intend to carry out the agreements of the PCC; another Communist fear concerned the National Government’s secret police. General Marshall stated that he, in all his deliberations, attempted to dispell these fears and further attempted to clarify the situation on both sides in order that negotiations toward peace could be continued. General Marshall then added that the overall situation was as difficult as it could be and that it would require the patience and skill of all concerned to improve the relationship and to find a solution.
General Marshall stated that he had one possible solution with reference to the Manchurian situation. He said that since the Communists would not evacuate Changchun and at the same time permit the entry of National troops and since the Government wanted the Communuists to evacuate Changchun so their forces could move in, it may be agreeable to both sides for the Communists to evacuate Changchun and the National Forces refrain from moving in. An advance echelon of Executive Headquarters, including General Byroade, the Chiefs of Staff and possibly the Commissioners would then be established in Changchun for the purpose of establishing peace. General Marshall stated that while he disliked putting an American officer in such a position, he would overlook the undesirability of such a move in order to reach a solution. In addition to the establishment of Executive Headquarters in Changchun, the mayor in the city possibly could organize a peace preservation corps. General Marshall asked General Hsu to keep this proposal in mind in his discussions with the Generalissimo.