Marshall Mission Files, Lot 54–D270
Memorandum by General Chou En-lai to General Marshall 58
Dear General Marshall: Your mediation in China’s internal dispute has been generally acknowledged as a great success during the first three months after your arrival. However, this initial success was not made lasting and your efforts were nullified by the fact, that the Kuomintang Government soon tore the agreements to pieces and carried the war from Manchuria into China proper, which quickly assumed the nature of all-out offensive against all Communist-led Liberated Areas. At present, war has engulfed the whole country, and the negotiation has degenerated into nothing but a camouflage for the ruthless prosecution of war by the Government authorities. In analyzing this grave situation, one cannot fail to draw the conclusion that the one-sided American financial and war and otherwise material assistance to the Kuomintang Government, even viewed singularly, has contributed much to the civil war policy of the Government authorities.
I wish to recall that, as far as is known, since the Sino-Japanese War the U. S. Government has granted to China 14 loans with a total credit of US$1,314,590,000; this plus other account transfers now leave at the disposal of the Chinese Government a deposit of US$700,000,000 [Page 193] in the United States. In addition to that, according to an A. P. despatch datelined Washington July 21, the U. S. Government has since 1942 under Lend Lease Act delivered to China total of over US$1,500,000,000 worth of arms and war-supplies, about three fifth of which was made available since the V–J day. During the past twelve months the Kuomintang Government has made ruthless use of these vast resources practically all for supporting its full-fledged civil war and nothing else. Most recently, while the civil war is reaching its pitch, the U. S. Government has concluded with the Kuomintang Government an additional agreement governing the sale of US$825,000,000 worth of surpluses and equipment, which being tantamount to adding fuel to flame would evoke nothing but agitation and bitter resentment among the Chinese people.
I wish further to draw your attention to the fact that such moves on part of the U. S. Government are inconsistent with its enunciated policy toward China, as was specifically expressed in the following words of President Truman’s statement of December 15 last: “United States support will not extend to United States military intervention to influence the course of any Chinese internal strife.”
As early as the Chinese Communist Party learned that a negotiation for the sale of the surpluses was underway, it filed a protest on August 23 [26] with you,59 as representative of the U.S. Government to China, voicing opposition to the sale at this moment and pointing out the serious consequences involved therein. Notwithstanding our protest, the deal was concluded on August 31 [30]. I am therefore again instructed on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party and the 140,000,000 population in the Communist-led Liberated Areas to lodge a formal protest through you to the U. S. Government over this sale and demand that the U. S. Government would freeze up all supplies, shipping etc. covered by this agreement pending a settlement at the time when peace and unity is restored and a coalition government is initiated in China. Seeing that the U. S. Government has time and again declared that it has no other purpose in China than to promote peace and unity between her warring factions, it is our hope that through your exertions this demand would be complied with, so that the war peril would be curtailed and the anxiety of the Chinese people would be quieted down.
Anxiously awaiting your early reply.
With best regards,