Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Minutes of Meeting Between General Marshall and General Yu Ta-wei at No. 5 Ning Hai Road, Nanking, September 5, 1946, 11 a.m.
| Also present: | Col. Caughey |
General Yu Ta Wei opened the meeting by asking General Marshall to let him have the substance of his discussions with the Generalissimo at Kuling last week.
General Marshall stated the Generalissimo believed that the Communists would immediately demand a solution of the reorganization of the Executive Yuan while attempting to resolve the State Council matter within Doctor Stuart’s small group; he further felt that the Communists would not participate in the National Assembly until this reorganization had been completed. The Generalissimo said his desire in this matter was to have the State Council meet 10 October (anniversary of Chinese independence); and to arrange matters so that the same time a cessation of hostilities took place the Communists would submit the names of their representatives for the National Assembly.
General Marshall stated that a delay in the cessation of hostilities until October 12th meant a general war beyond immediate control. General Marshall differed with the Generalissimo in that he did not think the Communists attached first importance to the reorganization of the Executive Yuan but that he (General Marshall) did think, however, that the Communists were determined not to enter the National Assembly on 12 November unless the draft Constitution as set up in the PCC was to be carried out.
General Marshall continued by stating that he had now seen General Chou En-lai and had found that in addition to the apparent misunderstanding regarding the handling of the question of the Executive Yuan, the situation was extremely complicated in view of the statements made in Kuling, Nanking and Shanghai by Government spokesmen regarding the Generalissimo’s 5 conditions.
To sum up, General Marshall pointed out that the Generalissimo did not wish the military and political situations to be discussed simultaneously nor to be correlated; and that he (General Marshall) had convinced General Chou that this was a logical course; and that now General Chou insisted on the two matters being discussed simultaneously, a position from which he would not recede. General Marshall continued by stating that he would know more by this evening after [Page 131] he had an opportunity to confer with General Chou at 4:30 this afternoon.
General Yu said that as far as he knew General Marshall and the Generalissimo had not discussed, in his (General Yu’s) presence, the idea that military consideration would be connected with political considerations arrived at by Doctor Stuart’s group. General Marshall agreed with General Yu Ta Wei but pointed out that there was no question in his mind the Generalissimo knew this was General Chou En Lai’s attitude since on the 17th of August, while in Kuling, he had asked Colonel Caughey to take up this question with General Chou En Lai and had later read Colonel Caughey’s reply to the Generalissimo. The reply clearly indicated that General Chou would consider participation in the State Council only after agreements had been reached on both political and military considerations which were outstanding.
General Marshall told General Yu Ta Wei that in yesterday’s meeting with General Chou, General Chou had at last put his finger on the crux of the surplus property disposal agreement. General Marshall told haw General Chou had said that the National Government was using the gold credit it obtained through the surplus property agreement, plus their gold reserves in the United States, to prosecute the war. General Marshall added that the military leaders and advisors were, in effect, using him (General Marshall) through this means, to create a chaotic condition in China. General Marshall stated that he could not, without completely disrupting the Kuomintang Party, make this phase of the matter known to the world since he in effect would be destroying the good faith which the United States was placing in the National Government through him.
General Yu Ta Wei brought up the matter of the refusal of the State Department to grant license for export of 7.92 ammunition recently requisitioned by the Chinese. General Yu stated that he felt this was a low-level decision but that since the refusal also indicated that ammunition could not be exported except for an integrated army, it in effect was a declaration of high policy not intended by the United States. General Marshall asked General Yu Ta Wei to give him additional information on this matter and he said he would look into the matter further.35