893.00B/2–1545: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:07 p.m.]
1628. The Times and Daily Worker this morning carry stories regarding dispute between the Chinese Communists and Chungking. The Times story which is more detailed and is from its Washington correspondent, reports that, according to a Chinese Government spokesman on February 13, Chou En-lai, the Communist representative, rejected Government concessions which included the admission of the Communist Party to legal status, Communist representation on the National Military Council and in the Executive Yuan, and the creation of a joint Government-Communist Committee, presided over by a neutral observer, preferably an American army officer, to consider reorganization of the Communist Army and the apportionment of military supplies to them. Chou is reported to have put forward a counter-proposal for a conference of all political parties to settle Chinese internal problems. The Times Washington correspondent says there is regret in Washington that the negotiations have been held up again but general relief that they have not broken down completely. He adds that General Hurley, since his arrival in China, has striven to bring about closer relations between the two parties.
Sterndale Bennett, head of the Far Eastern Department of the [Page 219] Foreign Office, told an officer of the Embassy today that the Foreign Office had no confirmation of these press stories but that on the face of them they did not appear improbable. The last paragraph of the Times story states that there is but little doubt that Russia’s attitude toward the Chinese Communists has recently strengthened the hand of Chungking. According to this source, “it is learned on good authority that important Moscow officials have stated that Russia has no interest in Chinese Communists as such, but is vitally interested in Far Eastern stability”. Bennett also stated he had no information to confirm this but that it did not appear to be unreasonable.
In commenting on the Chungking-Communist dispute, Bennett referred to the alleged Communist demands which, as he outlined them, were substantially the same as those quoted on page 3 of the February 1 issue of the weekly political review of the Office of Far Eastern Affairs. He said that it would be difficult for the Generalissimo to accept such demands inasmuch as by doing so the Communists would apparently gain freedom to organize and proselytize all over China. Bennett expressed particular interest in the speech by Congressman Mansfield on January 1684 and especially mentioned Mansfield’s comment that it would be a good suggestion to induce Yenan to make concessions as well as Chungking. Bennett stated that it is unfortunate that in trying to bring about reconciliation between Chungking and Yenan it is so much easier to put pressure on Chungking then on Yenan where western countries are not officially represented. Bennett feels that if the Communists are too uncompromising they may forfeit some of the well-deserved sympathy and support they now possess. Congressman Mansfield’s speech is considered to have been a real contribution to the understanding of this difficult issue.
- Congressional Record, vol. 91, pt. 1, p. 277.↩