Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270: Telegram
General Marshall to President Truman 96
1367. Dear Mr. President: Since my 1334 of 17 August sent from Kuling, I have had several lengthy interviews with the Generalissimo and also with Doctor Soong and other advisors, all at Kuling. Since my return to Nanking, Tuesday, Doctor Stuart and I have been engaged in efforts to initiate a meeting of a small Kuomintang-Communist group under Stuart’s chairmanship to reach an immediate settlement of the conditions for the early creation of the State Council with complete party representation. I have had further conferences with Doctor Soong and other Government Representatives and just completed a few minutes ago a lengthy conference with General Chou En-lai. I am leaving within the hour for Kuling to persuade the Generalissimo immediately to appoint his representative for the small group under Stuart’s chairmanship to settle the details for the creation of the State Council.
The Generalissimo’s present attitude is that he is willing to make a try at reaching an agreement with the Communists for the organization of the State Council through the means suggested by Doctor Stuart and myself, but he is unwilling to agree to a termination of [Page 80] the fighting until the agreement is reached and presumably until his military conditions for the cessation of fighting have also been agreed to. He feels that even this concession is a great one and involves a military risk on the part of the Government. I disagree completely with this view of the matter as to risk. To my mind the great risk is involved in the continuation of the fighting. The Generalissimo feels that the Communists are responsible for the fighting and cannot be trusted to go through with an agreement for its cessation. I am not in agreement with this view, at least I feel that the effort is a mandatory requirement.
Doctor Stuart has held lengthy conferences with Chou En-lai in the past two days and the latter has agreed to enter into the meeting of the small group to settle the conditions for the activation of the State Council. It is with that understanding that I am proceeding to Kuling this afternoon to see the Generalissimo.
The Military situation naturally grows more serious day by day and there is now an immediate threat of an outbreak of the fighting in Jehol, northeast of Peiping. The Communists’ Mobilization Manifesto, General Chou assures me, was a defensive measure against what they considered was the definite purpose of the Government to settle the issues by military force.
The fact of the matter is that each side takes the same stand with me, that the other is provoking the fighting and cannot be trusted to go through with an agreement. The present effort of Doctor Stuart and myself regarding the State Council is but another move, but on a higher level, to break the stalemate. I was shown a copy of the Generalissimo’s reply to your message and I can only repeat the language of my last message that “It can mean much or little depending on whether or not a renewed negotiation this coming week” can be productive of a basis for the cessation of hostilities.
The introduction of Doctor Soong into the negotiations has not yet had any important result as he only had his first meeting with Chou yesterday and has been forced to leave for Shanghai this morning to meet Mr. McCabe and others of our FLC,97 also he has a high fever.
The investigation of the Nanking97a Marine-Communist incident is progressing slowly but actually is progressing. I doubt exceedingly whether an agreement can be reached as to either the facts, or the responsibility, but at least we will have the testimony of the various factors and the opportunity of the press to hear that testimony.
[Page 81]Admiral Cooke conferred with me at length yesterday regarding this situation and such plans as we should make against various eventualities.
Doctor Stuart and I and some of the Embassy Staff are working on a possible restatement of American Policy which I will submit to the State Department as soon as completed.
Respectfully yours,