Chapter 10 Reply to Reuters reporter Gamble's question[1]

(September 27, 1945) (1) Question: Is it possible to avoid civil war by means of agreement without resorting to force? Answer: Possibly.Because it is in the interests of the Chinese people and also in the interests of the political party in power in China.At present, China only needs the policy of peaceful nation-building, and does not need other policies. Therefore, civil war in China must be resolutely avoided. (2) Question: What kind of concessions does the CCP intend to make in order to obtain an agreement? Answer: On the condition of national peace, democracy and unity, the CCP is ready to make important concessions, including reducing the army in liberated areas.

(3) Question: What kind of compromises or concessions must the central government make in order to meet the CCP's demands? Answer: The CCP’s proposition can be found in the recent declaration of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China[2]. This declaration requires the Kuomintang government to recognize the democratically elected government and the people’s army in the liberated areas, allow them to participate in accepting the Japanese surrender, severely punish the traitors and puppet troops, reorganize the army fairly and reasonably, and protect the people’s freedom rights, and the formation of a democratic coalition government.

(4) Question: Do you think there is hope that the negotiations will reach an agreement or even a temporary agreement? Answer: I have full confidence in the outcome of the negotiations. I believe that with the joint efforts and mutual concessions of the KMT and the Communist Party, the negotiations will result in an agreement that is not only temporary but sufficient to ensure long-term peace building. (5) Question: If the negotiations break down, can the KMT-CCP ​​issue be resolved without bloodshed? A: I don't believe the negotiations will break down.In any case, the CCP will adhere to the policy of avoiding civil war.There will be difficulties, but they can be overcome.

(6) Question: What is the CCP’s attitude towards the Sino-Soviet Treaty[3]? Answer: We fully agree with the Sino-Soviet Treaty and hope for its thorough realization, because it is beneficial to the peoples of the two countries and world peace, especially peace in the Far East. (7) Question: After Japan surrendered, do you intend to continue to occupy the areas you occupied? Answer: The CCP requires the central government to recognize the democratically elected government and the people's army in the Liberated Areas. Its meaning is only to require the government to implement the local autonomy promised by the Kuomintang long ago, so as to guarantee the political, military, economic and educational achievements of the people during the war. Local democratic reforms, these reforms are completely in line with the ideals of the founder of the Kuomintang, Mr. Sun Yat-sen.

(8) Question: If a coalition government is formed, to what extent are you prepared to cooperate with Chiang Kai-shek? Answer: If a coalition government is established, the CCP will do its best to cooperate with Chairman Chiang to build an independent, free, prosperous and powerful new China, and thoroughly implement Mr. Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles. (9) Question: A. How many Communist Party members in North China will be affected by your actions and decisions? B. How many of them are armed? C. Where are the Communist Party members still active? Answer: The course of action of Communist Party members is determined by the Party Central Committee.The CCP now has more than 1.2 million members, and the number of people living a democratic life under its leadership has far exceeded 100 million.These people, on a voluntary basis, organized an army of more than 1.2 million and a militia of more than 2.2 million. They are distributed not only in the provinces of North China and the Shensi-Kansu-Ningxia Border Region in the northwest, but also in the In Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Guangdong provinces.The members of the CCP are distributed in all provinces of the country.

(10) Question: What is the CCP's concept and definition of "free and democratic China"? Answer: A "free and democratic China" will be a country in which all levels of government up to the central government are elected by universal, equal, secret ballots and are accountable to the people who elected them.It will realize Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People, Lincoln's [4] principles of the people's ownership, rule by the people, and the people's benefits, and Roosevelt's four freedoms [5].It will guarantee national independence, unity, unity and cooperation with all democratic powers.

(11) Question: In the coalition government of various parties, what is the CCP's construction policy and recovery policy? Answer: In addition to the democratic reform of the military and politics, the CCP will propose to the government to implement an economic and cultural construction program.The purpose of this program is mainly to reduce the burden on the people, improve people's lives, implement land reform and industrialization, reward private enterprises (except for those sectors with monopoly nature that should be state-run by democratic governments), and welcome outsiders to invest under the principle of equality and mutual benefit And the development of international trade, the promotion of mass education, the eradication of illiteracy and so on.All this is also in line with Mr. Sun Yat-sen's bequest.

(12) Question: Do you agree with the nationalization of the military and the abolition of private ownership of the military? Answer: We fully agree with the nationalization of the military and the abolition of private ownership of the military. The common premise of these two things is the democratization of the country.The so-called "communist army" is actually an army organized voluntarily by the Chinese people during the war and only serves to defend the motherland. This is a new type of army, which is completely different from all the old-style armies in China that belonged to individuals in the past. .Its democratic nature provides valuable experience for the real nationalization of the Chinese military, which is a reference for other Chinese military forces to improve.

According to "Xinhua Daily" published on September 27, 1945. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] These are Mao Zedong’s answers to twelve questions written by the British Reuters correspondent in Chongqing, Gambert. [2] Refers to the "Declaration of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Current Situation" issued on August 25, 1945. [3] The Sino-Soviet Treaty refers to the "Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance" signed in Moscow on August 14, 1945, between the Chinese Kuomintang government and the Soviet government.

[4] Lincoln (1809-1865), former President of the United States. [5] Refers to the "freedom of speech and expression", "freedom to believe in God", and "freedom from want" proposed by US President Roosevelt (1882-1945) during World War II , "Freedom From Fear".