Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Minutes of Interview Between Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and General Marshall at Kuling, China, August 8, 1946, Afternoon
General Marshall stated that he had delayed his return to Nanking until today waiting to receive the detailed report of Doctor Stuart’s [Page 1469] interview with General Chou En Lai on his return to Nanking Tuesday evening at which he communicated the Generalissimo’s stipulations of the cessation of hostilities. The Generalissimo was informed that no progress had been made by Doctor Stuart, that General Chou considered the stipulations to be not only a repetition of the impasse on June 30 but that additional harsh terms had been added thereto. General Marshall stated that he had nothing new to add to what he had already communicated to the Generalissimo except that he would outline the situation as he saw it today. He was convinced that fighting in North China would soon be completely out of control; that once it spread into Jehol, Manchuria would immediately be aflame, and then the fighting would be general in all areas.
He stated that his objective beyond the question of a unified and rejuvenated China was not as some of the Generalissimo’s advisors seemed to think (to put the Communist Party into control) but quite the opposite. Where he differed apparently from the Generalissimo and his immediate advisors was that he (General Marshall) thought their present procedure would lead to Communistic control in China. He felt that a chaotic situation was developing which not only would seriously weaken the Kuomintang but would afford the Communists an excellent opportunity to undermine the Government, and it would also afford an exceptional opportunity for Soviet Russia to intervene, either directly or under cover in a manner favorable to the Communists. He stated that his information from a wide variety of sources was that the prestige of the Kuomintang had been seriously lowered and that criticism of its governmental procedure was increasing daily.
However, General Marshall felt that an even more serious consequence was now impending. Recent events in China had created a body of American opinion that freedom of press, freedom of speech was being denied and that the intellectual element, especially those educated in foreign universities, were under deliberate persecution, certainly under repressive measures, calculated to intimidate them from expressing any view that was not favorable to the Government.
General Marshall stated that the most serious consequence of this was its profound injury to the prestige of the Generalissimo, which was the greatest asset possessed by China.
He mentioned the protest of a group of Harvard professors submitted to President Truman, which happened to be headed by the former professor of General Wu Ta Wei. He commented that professors were often more idealistic than realistic as to measures necessary but that in this case they were reflecting the opinion as to the character of the Government. And that opinion, in effect, was that [Page 1470] the procedure was identical with that followed by Germany regarding liberal opinion, which had shocked and outraged the world.
General Marshall reminded the Generalissimo that the Communists throughout the negotiations of the past two months had asked continuously for a cessation of hostilities to be followed by negotiations for the settlement of the disputed points. He commented on the intense desire of the Communists to have the actions and the procedure of the PCC followed and their belief that the Government was deliberately by-passing the PCC. He commented on what he thought was the extremely narrow point of view of certain military leaders. These leaders saw only the immediate objective of the fighting in their particular locality and seemed quite oblivious of measures which would control a situation actually developing under them. This was, General Marshall said, especially true in Manchuria where National military activities were calculated to promote, rather than curtail, Communism among unemployed workers for whom no measures whatever were being taken, either to train them in the specialties left vacant by the Japanese or to be given other indications that their future was a matter of interest to the local military commanders.
The Generalissimo stated in regard to the Kunming assassinations that the only way such a matter could be handled was to locate the guilty party, which he was determined to do, and then to punish him. He stated that much of the accusations of the Communists and members of the Democratic League (the latter individuals were being harrassed and intimidated by the secret police) was deliberate misrepresentation of the purpose of the Government, which was to protect the individual against harm that would inevitably be charged against the Government.
General Marshall replied that while accepting the Generalissimo’s procedure and intention regarding the locating of the responsible individual of the Kunming assassinations, yet there were other factors involved which threw quite a different light on the actions and intentions of the Government. He cited the fact that an hour before his departure from Nanking to Kuling, he had received a message from the American Consular [Consulate] General in Kunming58 that six liberal newspapers or magazines had just been suppressed. On his inquiry of the Minister of Information on the hour before departure he had been told that these suppressions were due to the fact that the publications were not properly registered. He stated to the Generalissimo that even if these papers had not been registered, he could not imagine a more ill-advised procedure of the Government [Page 1471] than to suppress the papers in Kunming at this particular time. Practically no one in the United States would accept the reasons given as bona fide. General Marshall stated that it would further convince people that a campaign of intimidation was being carried out by the Government, and that when that campaign was directed at the most highly educated group in China the seriousness of the matter, so far as public opinion in the United States was concerned, could hardly be exaggerated. The people in the United States were bound to contrast it with the educational limitations beyond high school standards of some of the most aggressive military leaders who were precipitating, in his opinion, a general civil war.
The Generalissimo asked him to let him know the result of his (General Marshall) conversations with General Chou En Lai in Nanking if there seemed any possibility for an agreement.
This closed the meeting.
- This was reported to the Department by the Vice Consul at Kunming (McGeary) in his airgram No. A–5, August 12, not printed.↩