Chapter 63 Letter from the Communist Party of China to the Chinese Kuomintang [1]

(August 25, 1936) Gentlemen of the Central Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, I would like to pass on the lesson to all members of the Chinese Kuomintang: It has been more than a year since our party, the Soviet government and the Red Army issued the declaration of resisting Japan and saving the country[2].Our party, the Soviet government, and the Red Army initiated the idea of ​​organizing a national united front to unite all parties, factions, and walks of life in the country to resist Japan. Although it has won the support of patriotic leaders and people across the country, your party and your government hesitated to adopt it, which led to sacred The national self-defense war has not been launched until today.The Japanese aggressors have already taken advantage of the vacancy and entered directly, gaining ground, and suffering a catastrophe. At present, the whole country is in a state of hesitation and cannot live all day long. This kind of great danger to the whole country and the whole nation is entirely caused by the wrong policies of your party and your party government.Now is the critical moment of national subjugation and genocide, and our party has no choice but to appeal to your party once again: immediately stop the civil war, organize a nationwide anti-Japanese united front, launch a sacred national self-defense war, resist the Japanese imperialist attack, defend and restore China territorial sovereignty and save the people of the whole country from dire straits.If you continue to fight internally, if you don't turn your guns from inward to outward, if you don't change your policy of concessions to the War of Resistance, if you don't turn the situation of separation to unity, and if you don't turn the situation of laxity to unity, disaster will come. , It is unimaginable, and the crimes of the gentlemen will be irreparable forever.For this reason, we sincerely write to you gentlemen and all members of the Chinese Kuomintang.

After reading the Declaration of the Second Plenary Session of your Party and Chairman Chiang’s report at the Plenary Session, I believe that the Second Plenary Session of your Party still did not give a definite answer to the question of saving the nation from the nation’s day and night, and that the Fifth Plenary Session of your Party said that “peace has not yet reached its full potential.” In times of despair, never give up on peace, and don't sacrifice until the last moment, the foreign policy of "never talk about sacrifice" has not been completely changed. This is very disappointing to the patriotic people of the whole country.

Chairman Chiang’s report once gave a new explanation of the policy of the Fifth National Congress of your Party, saying: “The minimum that the Central Committee has for diplomacy is to maintain the integrity of our territorial sovereignty. Any country that wants to invade our territorial sovereignty, we will Absolutely intolerable, we will never conclude any agreements that infringe our territorial sovereignty, and we will absolutely not tolerate any facts that infringe our territorial sovereignty. To put it more clearly, if someone forces us to enter into recognition of a false country that damages territorial sovereignty, it will be The time when we can't tolerate it is the time when we will finally sacrifice." Chairman Chiang's explanation is very much needed, because the Chinese people have never understood how to call it "a period of despair for peace" and "the last moment of sacrifice." minimum.We admit that Generalissimo Chiang's explanation has made some progress compared with the past, and we sincerely welcome this progress.However, Generalissimo Chiang's explanation basically still cannot meet the needs of the people of the whole country, because Generalissimo Jiang also believed in his report: "The diplomatic situation in the past six months, everyone believes that it has not reached a period of peace and despair. It’s hopelessness for peace, but it’s better to say that compared with the previous situation in the past six months, there is still a glimmer of hope. I dare say that the recent diplomatic channels have not reached the final juncture.” Therefore, Generalissimo Jiang still refused to propose the organization of an anti-Japanese united front The mission still refused to immediately launch the holy war of resistance against Japan, using the defeat of Abyssinia[3] as an excuse to continue its policy of retreat.This is a great pity, as it cannot meet the demands of the people of the whole country.From the perspective of the people of the whole country, the fall of the four northeastern provinces, the loss of most of Chahar[4], the rampant anti-communist self-government[5] in eastern Hebei, the puppetization of the Hebei-Chahar Political Committee[6], and the entry of Japanese troops into Hebei the loss of economic power in North China, the overt smuggling across the country, the impasse of national industry and commerce, the bankruptcy of the national finances, the destruction of customs rights, the establishment of Japanese secret agencies in North China and Northwest provinces, and the Japanese and puppet Mongolian troops’ attack on Suizhou. Yuan[7]'s large-scale offensive, the establishment of the Inner Mongolia Independent Government[8], the unlimited flight of enemy planes in our airspace, the rampant Japanese ronin, the students' patriotic movement and the people's patriotic speech have been directly and indirectly interfered by the Japanese invaders, A large number of workers and peasants were massacred, many patriotic people, patriotic soldiers, patriotic policemen, patriotic journalists, and even many important officials of your party and government officials suffered unbearable insults. , the instigation of the South China Autonomy Movement, etc., all of which are not the great loss of China's territorial sovereignty.From the perspective of the people of the whole country, the Songhu Agreement[9], the Tanggu Agreement[10], the Hemei Agreement[11], the North China Anti-Communist Agreement, and other unannounced written and unwritten agreements are all treaties that lost power and land .Therefore, in the eyes of the people of the whole country, peace has already been hopeless, and sacrifices have already come to the last moment. Apart from launching a resolute self-defense war by the people's and national armed forces, the total loss of China's territorial sovereignty is irreparable.

The bandit plan of the Japanese imperialists to destroy China will never change except by mobilizing all of China's forces to smash it resolutely.The change of its aggression method, the shift of the direction of aggression, and the expression of the so-called "economic support" are not at all because it wants to stop the aggression, but precisely to facilitate the aggression.Therefore, if one thinks that after the invasion of Hebei and Chahar, the Japanese aggressors will focus on the economic aggression of the five north China provinces for a while, and that there is hope for a peaceful way, this is self-deception.It is also a complete illusion to think that the Japanese aggression will stop in the north of the Yellow River, but we can settle in the south of the Yellow River.Look, just when the gentlemen were talking about peace and not despairing, the Japanese and puppet troops in Chabei attacked Suiyuan again.After the establishment of special agencies in Suiyuan, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, and Gansu, aviation terminals and many sub-stations were established in these places.The forced establishment of a consulate in Sichuan has aroused great changes in the massacre of patriotic compatriots.After the increase of troops in North China, the ferocious Japanese army was ready to move, and the defense line of the 29th Army had small contacts from time to time, and the situation in North China became increasingly dangerous.Japanese military investigation groups, economic investigation groups and other reconnaissance groups traveled all over the country and penetrated everywhere.The spy network of the Japanese aggressors spread all over the country and in various organizations of your party and your party government.All of these just indicate that the situation of the Japanese invaders destroying China is very critical.It is an undeniable fact that peace is absolutely impossible and war of resistance is inevitable. The gentlemen's thinking is completely wrong.

The declaration of the Second Plenary Session of your party once solemnly stated: "The prerequisite for resisting insults is to concentrate all the national salvation forces under the command of the central government, keep pace, and consolidate their fronts. Therefore, the need for resisting insults and saving the country requires unity and discipline. It is an unshakable iron rule, and the unity of military, government and military orders is the minimum for completing the organization of a "modern state".We fully recognize that in order to mobilize the greatest resistance force of the people of the whole country and to achieve complete victory in the War of Resistance, it is absolutely necessary to concentrate and unify the nation's national salvation forces.At the time of the September 18th Incident, our party, the Soviet government and the Red Army had already called on the people and the army of the whole country to wage a sacred national revolutionary war and expel Japanese imperialism from China.After the 128 Songhu Anti-Japanese War, our party, the Soviet government and the Red Army proposed to all the armed forces of your party and your party government who besieged the Soviet area to immediately cease the war and discuss peace and joint resistance against Japan.After the North China Incident, we put forward a new policy of quickly organizing the most extensive anti-Japanese united front of all parties, factions, and walks of life throughout China. We have repeatedly asked your party and your government to stop the civil war and unite to resist Japan. The Anti-Japanese National Salvation Congress, elected by the anti-Japanese armed forces, decided on the grand plan of anti-Japanese national salvation. From this congress, it elected a unified national defense government and organized an anti-Japanese coalition to carry out a large-scale anti-Japanese war. It also resolutely stated that the Soviet government is willing to become such a national defense government. The Red Army is willing to obey the command of the General Headquarters of the Anti-Japanese Allied Forces, serve as a certain front, and ensure the completion of each combat mission.All these propositions of our party, the Soviet government and the Red Army fully meet the needs of the people of the whole country, and are the only correct policy to save the nation.The people of the whole country have never been so urgent as today to stop the civil war and centralize and unify in order to unite in the resistance against Japan. Only the Japanese invaders and their agents will incite China to continue to split and continue the civil war, because this will only cause Japanese bandits to perish Chinese conditions.

However, the "centralization and unification" mentioned by the Second Plenary Session of your party is really putting the cart before the horse.It must be known that the civil war and disunity in the past ten years are entirely caused by your party and your party government's misguided policy of relying on imperialism, especially the consistent policy of non-resistance since September 18th.Under the slogan of your party and your party's government, "to fight against the outside world, we must first settle down at home", we have carried out years of continuous civil wars, held countless sieges against the Soviet Red Army, and spared no effort to suppress the patriotic and democratic movements of the people across the country .Until recently, you have abandoned Northeast China and North China, forgotten that Japanese imperialism is China's greatest enemy, and turned all your strength against the Soviets and the Red Army, engaged in internal strife between your own camps, and used all your strength to block the Red Army's way of resisting Japan and disrupt the Red Army. The rear of the Anti-Japanese War ignores the anti-Japanese demands of the people of the whole country, deprives the people of the whole country of freedom and rights, patriotism is a crime, unjust prisons are everywhere in the country, traitors are rewarded, and traitors celebrate each other when they retaliate. Using this wrong policy to seek centralization and unification is really vain and counterproductive.We now tell you gentlemen: If you do not fundamentally change your erroneous policy, if you do not place your hatred on Japanese imperialism but on your own compatriots, then it is impossible for you to maintain the status quo Centralization and unification and the so-called "modern state" are completely empty talk.

What the people of the whole country want now is the centralization and unification of resisting Japan and saving the people, not the centralization and unification of flattering the remnants of foreigners.The people of the whole country are now eagerly demanding a government that truly saves the country and the people, and a truly democratic republic.The people of the nation demand a democratic republican government for their own benefit.The main program of this government must: first, be able to resist foreign aggression, second, be able to give the people democratic rights, and third, be able to develop the national economy and alleviate or even eliminate the suffering in people's lives.If you want to talk about a "modern country", these programs are what the real colonial and semi-colonial China requires in this era, and the people of the whole country are now striving to realize such goals with fervent desire and firm determination.The policies of your party and your government run counter to the wishes of the people across the country.It is absolutely impossible to seek the trust of the people in this way.

The Communist Party of China, the Chinese Soviet government, and the Chinese Red Army hereby solemnly declare: We sponsor the establishment of a unified democratic republic in China, sponsor the convening of a parliament elected by universal suffrage, support the anti-Japanese national salvation congress of the people of the whole country and the anti-Japanese army, and support national unity defense government.We declare: when the unified democratic republic of the whole of China is established, the Soviet area will become an integral part of the unified democratic republic of the whole of China. democracy.

We believe that the National Defense Conference decided by the Second Plenary Session of your party, and the National Assembly that your party and your party government are currently convening, cannot complete the task of centralizing and uniting the resistance against Japan and saving the nation.According to the National Defense Conference Regulations passed by the Second Plenary Session of your Party, the organization of the National Defense Conference is limited to a small number of officials in power in your party and your government. It is very obvious that the meeting cannot achieve any achievements and cannot gain any trust from the people.And the National Assembly that you gentlemen are going to convene, based on the "Draft Constitution of the Republic of China" and the "National Assembly Organic Law and Representative Election Law" passed by your party government, also cannot achieve any achievements and cannot gain any trust from the people. , because this kind of national assembly is only an organ controlled by a small number of officials of your party and your party government, and is an accessory and decoration of these officials. The Congress (that is, the National Defense Conference), the Democratic Republic of China and its National Assembly have nothing in common.We believe that the national defense conference for resisting Japan and saving the country must absorb representatives from all parties, factions, walks of life and armed forces to form a power organ that can truly decide the plan for resisting Japan and saving the country, and a unified national defense government will emerge from this conference.The National Assembly must also be a parliament elected by the people of the whole country, and it is the highest organ of power in the Democratic Republic of China.Only such a national defense conference and national congress can be welcomed, supported and participated by the people of the whole country, and can the great cause of saving the country and the people be placed on a firm and indomitable foundation.Otherwise, any good-sounding term will definitely not help the reality, and it will definitely not be approved by the people of the whole country.The failure of various conferences convened by your party and your party government is the best proof.

The declaration of the Second Plenary Session of your party also said: "When dangers come, they can be planned, and we will never slacken our responsibilities because of the difficulties of the country's affairs"; force, and always."It is true that your party is the ruling party in the largest part of China's territory, and all the political responsibilities implemented in the past cannot but be borne by your party. Under the one-party dictatorship of the Kuomintang government, the Kuomintang must not evade its responsibility.Especially since the September 18th Incident, your party has gone against the will of the whole nation and the interests of the whole nation, implemented absolutely wrong policies, and achieved the result of losing half of China. This responsibility cannot be shifted to anyone else.However, in the eyes of us and the people of the whole country, half of China has fallen due to your party, and we must not ignore the responsibility of supervising your party to restore territorial sovereignty.At the same time, many conscientious elements in your party are now truly aware of the horror of national subjugation and the invincibility of public opinion, and have begun a new transformation. They have begun to be angry and dissatisfied with those in their own party who are harming the party and the country.The Communist Party of China fully sympathizes with this new transformation, and warmly welcomes the aspirations and awareness of those patriotic and conscientious members of the Chinese Kuomintang who have preserved and are inspiring the heroic spirit of the Chinese nation, and welcomes their willingness to sacrifice in the face of national peril The spirit of struggle and innovation.We know that in the central and provincial governments of your party, in the cultural circles, in the scientific circles, in the artistic circles, in the press, in the industrial circles, in the women's circles, in the religious circles, in the medical circles, In the police circle, among various popular organizations, especially among the vast army, old and new members of the Kuomintang, and leaders at all levels, there are indeed many enlightened and patriotic people, and such people are still increasing day by day, which is very gratifying matter.The Chinese Communists are always ready to join hands with these Kuomintang members to organize a solid national united front against the greatest enemy of the whole nation - Japanese imperialism.We hope that these Kuomintang members can quickly form a dominant force in the Kuomintang to overwhelm those worst and most shameful Kuomintang members who have become agents of Japanese imperialism and pro-Japanese traitors regardless of national interests—those who insulted Sun Yat-sen The Kuomintang members of Mr. Sun Yat-sen should restore the spirit of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary Three People's Principles, revive Mr. Sun Yat-sen's three major policies of alliance with Russia, the Communist Party, and agriculture and industry, and use his "mental ability" to "implement" the revolutionary Three People's Principles and the principles of the three major policies. "Always", "implement" the "always" of Mr. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary will, resolutely shoulder the responsibility of inheriting Mr. Sun Yat-sen's revolutionary cause, and work together with patriotic leaders and people from all walks of life of all parties and factions in the country to resolutely save China from the expulsion of Japanese imperialism Fight against peril, fight for the democratic rights of the people of the whole country, fight for the development of China's national economy and relieve the suffering of the majority of the people, and fight for the realization of the Democratic Republic of China and its democratic congress and democratic government.

The Communist Party of China declares to all Chinese Kuomintang members: If you really do this, we will firmly support you, and we are willing to form a solid revolutionary united front with you, as in the 1925-27 During a Chinese revolution, the two parties formed a great united front against national oppression and feudal oppression, because this is the only correct way to save the nation today. Gentlemen and all members of the Kuomintang, have you not forgotten the glorious history of the cooperation between the two parties during the last great revolution? Because of this cooperation, all the national oppressors and feudal oppressors trembled before us! The national oppression at that time The Japanese imperialists, especially the Japanese imperialists, knew well that our co-operation would lead to complete victory and complete liberation of China, so they did everything they could to sow dissension, coerce, gain and lure, and finally provoked the cooperating party and ruined it. This is the first united front.Gentlemen, if you look at your heart at night, you should be sighing! Now everyone understands that if the Chinese Kuomintang could cooperate with the Chinese Communist Party to the end at that time, then China would never be slaughtered, perish, and half as it is now. It is definitely an independent and free China! Now the people of the whole country are looking forward to the re-cooperation of the two parties to save the country. They believe that only the re-cooperation of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and the general cooperation with all parties, factions and walks of life in the country can truly save the country and survive.However, the Japanese imperialists and the traitors will definitely sabotage this cooperation again, because they clearly know that such cooperation will deal a fatal blow to the Japanese imperialists and the traitors.The so-called "three major principles" that the Japanese imperialists put forward to your government with "preventing the Communist Party" as the center is this kind of attempt to prevent and prepare to destroy the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party.But the question is very clear. Should we join with the Japanese imperialists and traitors in building a united front against the Communist Party, that is, a united front for national subjugation? Or should we work with the Chinese Communist Party and the people of the whole country to establish a united front for resisting Japan, that is, a united front for national salvation? The decision has now come It's time.All hesitation and vacillation are only the loss of the country and the nation, and only serve the interests of Japanese imperialism.The key to the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party is now in the hands of your party. As your party's Second Plenary Session said: Your party is responsible for the rise and fall of the country.If your party is truly willing to shoulder the responsibility of saving the nation and preserving its existence, then now is the time to make up your mind, and you will regret nothing if you talk about cooperation when you are a slave to the nation.As for our side, we have long been prepared to send our own plenipotentiary representatives at any place and at any time, together with your party's plenipotentiary representatives, to start specific and practical negotiations in order to quickly conclude a specific agreement on resisting Japan and saving the nation, and we are willing to resolutely abide by this agreement. If your united front with us, your united front with all parties, factions and walks of life in the country, once declared successful, then you, us and the people of the whole country have the right to shout: let those traitors and traitors and all shameless slaves, Shout out "China is powerless to resist Japan" in front of the Japanese imperialist violence! The descendants of the great Chinese nation will never surrender or yield! We must fight to the last drop of blood for the independence and liberation of the great Chinese nation! Bisignia! The Chinese nation with 450 million people will one day stand up majestically in the east of the earth, hold high the banner of the final victory of the national revolution, and join hands with all free and liberated nations in the world, Even the Japanese nation, excluding the imperialist elements, rules the entire earth, and rules the bright and splendid new world! Let our enemies tremble before our united front, victory will surely belong to us! Hereby, Sincerely Salute to the National Revolution! Central Committee of the Communist Party of China August 25, 1936 Printed from mimeographs preserved in the Central Archives. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is a letter from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China drafted by Mao Zedong to the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang. [2] Refers to the "Message to All Compatriots for Anti-Japanese and National Salvation" by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic on August 1, 1935, commonly known as the August 1st Declaration. [3] Abyssinia, namely Ethiopia, was occupied by Italian fascists in May 1936. [4] Chahar, see note [3] on page 382 of this volume. [5] Refers to the puppet regime established in Tong County by Yin Rugeng, the former administrative inspector of Luanyu and Jimi Districts of the Hebei Provincial Government of the Kuomintang under the instigation of Japanese imperialism on November 25, 1935. It was called "Eastern Hebei Anti-Communist Autonomous Committee", and a month later it was renamed "Eastern Hebei Anti-Communist Autonomous Government", thus making 22 counties in eastern Hebei Province out of the jurisdiction of the Chinese government. [6] Hebei-Chahar Political Committee, see note [5] on page 419 of this volume. [7] Suiyuan, see note [16] on page 371 of this volume. [8] In January 1936, under the planning of Japanese imperialism, the Mongolian upper-level reactionary Demchukdongrup (King De) publicly surrendered to Japan and established the "Mongolian Army Headquarters". In May of the same year , Established a puppet "Mongolian military government" in Jiabu Temple (now Huade, Inner Mongolia). [9] Songhu Agreement, see note [5] on page 411 of this volume. [10] Tanggu Agreement, see note [6] on page 412 of this volume. [11] Ho-Mei agreement, see note [4] on page 411 of this volume.