Chapter 94 On Stabilizing Tang Enbo and Diplomatic Countermeasures

(April 28, 1949) The general front committee, Su Zhang[1], and sued Liu Zhangli[2]: (1) In order to stabilize Tang Enbo[3] in Shanghai for a period of time, so that our army can take Hangzhou first and then prepare to take Shanghai, we believe that you should not occupy Suzhou, Kunshan, Taicang, Wujiang, and Jiaxing for the time being. Let Tang Enbo guard the above points so that he does not feel directly threatened in Shanghai. (2) The U.S. warship and a battalion of marines were withdrawn from Shanghai to outside Wusongkou on the 26th. The U.S. left only one warship (medical ship) carrying medical equipment in Shanghai.The British warships London and Eternity also retreated to Wusongkou together with the US ships, leaving only the destroyer Black Swan in Shanghai (the ship was damaged, and some wounded soldiers stayed in Shanghai for medical treatment).There was a French warship in Shanghai, and it is unknown whether it will withdraw.It is to my advantage that Britain and the United States adopt such an attitude.

(3) For British and American nationals (and all foreign nationals) and foreign ambassadors, ministers, consuls and other diplomatic personnel, first of all, American and British diplomatic personnel, we should focus on educating the troops to protect them.Now the United States has entrusted someone to request the establishment of diplomatic relations with us, and the United Kingdom is also trying its best to do business with us.We believe that if the United States and the United Kingdom can sever relations with the Kuomintang, we can consider establishing diplomatic relations with them.Deng, Rao, Chen, and Liu [4] should pay attention to this matter.

(4) The old U.S. policy of aiding the Kuomintang against the Communist Party has gone bankrupt, and now it seems that it is turning into a policy of establishing diplomatic relations with us.Regarding the intrusion into Leighton Stuart's residence[5], the United States may lodge a verbal or written protest to our Nanjing authorities.But as long as we don't continue to have such incidents, the United States will not expand this matter. (5) The incident of the British warship Amethyst [6] seemed to be an accidental incident, and Britain did not even mention it in protest.Therefore, apart from using this as a means of publicizing and educating the people, we actually do not need to expand this matter.

Central Military Commission Thrifty and ugly Published according to Mao Zedong's manuscript. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Su Zhang, referring to Su Yu and Zhang Zhen, who were respectively the deputy commander, second deputy political commissar and chief of staff of the Third Field Army at that time. [2] Liu Zhangli refers to Liu Bocheng, Zhang Jichun, and Li Da, who were respectively the commander, deputy political commissar, director of the Political Department, and chief of staff of the Second Field Army at that time.

[3] Tang Enbo was then the commander-in-chief of the Beijing-Shanghai-Hangzhou Garrison Command of the Kuomintang Army. [4] Deng, referring to Deng Xiaoping, who was then the political commissar of the Second Field Army.Rao, refers to Rao Shushi, who was then Secretary of the East China Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and political commissar of the East China Military Region.Chen, referring to Chen Yi, who was then the commander and political commissar of the Third Field Army.Liu, referring to Liu Bocheng. [5] On April 25, 1949, soldiers of the 35th Army of the People's Liberation Army entered the residence of Leighton Stuart, the former US ambassador to China without authorization.

[6] From April 20th to 21st, 1949, when the People's Liberation Army was fighting across the Yangtze River, four British warships, including the Amethyst, which invaded the Yangtze River, an inland river in China, sailed to the People's Liberation Army's defense area, obstructing the crossing. Jiang, there was a military conflict between China and Britain.The British ship fired and killed and wounded 252 people from the People's Liberation Army.The Amethyst was damaged by the People's Liberation Army and forced to stop in the river near Zhenjiang, and the other three British ships escaped.