Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270

Minutes of Meeting Between General Marshall and Dr. Stuart at No. 5 Ning Hai Road, Nanking, September 12, 1946, 7 p.m.

Also present: Colonel Hutchin

Doctor Stuart stated that the purpose of his visit was to inform General Marshall of the results of his afternoon’s conference with General Chou. Little was gained from this conference. It largely resulted in General Chou reiterating previously expressed views with regard to the general situation and the Communist stand in relation thereto.

Doctor Stuart stated that General Chou gave great importance to the item of the reorganization of the Executive Yuan. Chou considers that it must be dealt with at a very early date and taken up with the Steering Committee of the PCC.

When Doctor Stuart asked General Chou En-lai if he would give “to one of us” (General Marshall or Doctor Stuart) a sealed envelope containing the list of Communist names for the State Council, General Chou declined. Doctor Stuart emphasized to Chou that it was his desire to do something soon that would start these negotiations on their way out of their present stalemate.

Dr. Stuart emphasized to General Chou the complete fallacy in the continuation of the fighting. No one would win and, in the last analysis, the people would be hurt the most.

In reply to this General Chou proposed that the Committee of Three meet to settle all military issues.

General Marshall stated that this would, in effect, take us back to our position on 30 June when we stopped negotiations at that time because Chou would not recede and the Government would not recede from their positions. He mentioned General Chou’s adoption of a stand at the present time is harmful to the Communists. Probably the Government wants all the time it can get as time is to its advantage.

General Marshall felt that there was not much that could be done during the next two or three days. He could not convene the Committee of Three since the Government Representative would be unable to discuss practically anything and the meeting would therefore be abortive at the start. The last time he convened the Committee of Three, he took all of a month and a half to prepare for a session of three days.

Under the present circumstances, knowing the Generalissimo’s views, and knowing how ineffective General Hsu would be, there would not be much point to convening the Committee. If the Committee could have some effective Government Representative, like the Chief of Staff, Chen Cheng, it might be possible to reach some agreement by debate [Page 186] around the table, but even then he would probably be so restricted by instructions from the Generalissimo that it would be almost impossible.

Dr. Stuart stated that he had been under the impression all along, and he still is, that General Chou En Lai was primarily interested in stopping the fighting.

General Marshall agreed and stated the question “What if we cease our efforts, don’t mediate and don’t say anything to anybody?”

Dr. Stuart acknowledged that he did imply as much as that in this afternoon’s meeting with General Chou but he did not make a categoric statement to this effect because he wished to leave the American Government out altogether.

General Marshall suggested that since reports had it that the Generalissimo would actually get back to Nanking on Sunday that during the intervening period it would be best for American mediators to sit quiet. He felt that Lo Lung Chi had smeared things up effectively by his random talk to the papers which had been animated by the remote hope that he might be able to get a representative on the Committee of Five.

Doctor Stuart agreed that it would probably be a good idea to wait quietly for a few days as he felt that General Chou definitely wanted him and General Marshall to go on with their mediation efforts.