Circular Telegram from Members
of the Guomindang Central Committee
Denouncing Chiang

(April 22, 1927)

To party organizations in every province and special municipality, overseas
party general branches, and for transmittal to party organizations at all levels, all
provincial governments, government agencies at all levels, commanders in chief
of all the army groups of the National Revolutionary Army, commanders of each
front army, the commander in chief of the navy, commanders of every army, all
officers and soldiers of each army, the general political department, political
departments at all levels, all newspapers in the country, to be passed on to all
organizations of the popular masses:

We have just read Jiang Zhongzheng's¹ clever telegram and realized that he has
shifted from opposing the Central Committee to illegally setting up his own
central committee. We have been aware of this conspiracy of Chiang Kaishek for
a long time because he has been routinely treating the Central Committee as his
puppet. When he saw that the Central Committee's action did not advance his
self-interest, he began to convene meetings after the fashion of warlord cliques to
demonstrate his defiance. Then he went on to call meetings like the Western
Hills Conference to plot in favor of splits. Although all we colleagues have long
been aware of this conspiracy of Chiang Kaishek, and it is too late to seek
reconciliation, only when this ultimate split descended on us today did we begin
to contemplate preventive solutions. We feel, indeed, deep remorse. Through the
tone and rhetoric of the telegram, Chiang Kaishek sounded as if he deserved all
the credit. Shall we ask whether, since the Northern Expedition began, countless
comrades have lost their lives and shed their blood in order that Chiang Kaishek
alone may claim fame and credit? For example, the likes of Wu Peifu and Zhang
Zuolin used their military adventures to manipulate the government and caused
Beijing to fall into a state of anarchy. Chiang Kaishek is attempting to emulate

This telegram was published in the Hankou Minguo ribao on April 22, 1927. We have
translated it from the text reproduced in Mao Zedong ji. Bujuan, Vol. 9, pp. 221-22.
1. Here and throughout this document, Chiang is referred to politely as Jiang
Zhongzheng. In accordance with our normal usage, we have changed this to Chiang
Kaishek in all subsequent appearances of the name.
them, but the revolutionary masses cannot be deceived twice. This only shows
that Chiang is blind to this reality. We now wish to call on the revolutionary
popular masses: Chiang Kaishek's betrayal of the Central Committee and his
establishment of a separate central committee are the result of the compromise
he first made with the imperialists since his arrival in Shanghai. He would go so
far as to inherit the mantle of disgrace from Wu Peifu, Sun Chuanfang, Zhang
Zuolin, and Zhang Zongchang; he used anti-Communist slogans in order to curry
favor with the imperialists; he did not even hesitate to butcher people as his
tribute to them. He clearly knows that such acts are forbidden by the Central
Committee; that is why he has no alternative but to embark on a course of
rebellion against the Central Committee. He used the office of commander in
chief to deceive those justice-loving troops disloyal to the traitors into doing
battle, and cut off their supplies, leaving their fate to the enemy. He arrested,
imprisoned, and murdered at will political workers in the army. He ordered his
running dogs to persecute party members in the party organizations of provinces
and cities. After he has purged his opposition and formed his own power base, he
brazenly and recklessly sets up his own central committee. Then, all the tools of
the imperialists have converged under his flag to engage in counterrevolution,
while all the revolutionary elements have been eliminated on charges of being
Communist or colluding with the Communist Party. This has already begun now
and will certainly intensify in the future. The revolutionary base in the southeast
has thus been dismantled by him. The revolutionary popular masses will soon be
exterminated. All our popular masses and our comrades, especially our armed
comrades, as well as those who do not want to see the pending victory of the
revolution fall into the hands of Chiang Kaishek, must carry out the orders of the
Central Committee and get rid of this traitor to the Director General,² the scum
of this party, and the swindler of the people. With deep respect, we [X] all the
national revolutionary armies to issue telegrams to voice their outrage. We [X]
wish [X]. Members of the Central Executive Committee, alternate members of
the Central Executive Committee, members of the national government, members of the Military Affairs Commission: Wang Jingwei, Tan Yankai, Sun Ke,
Xu Qian, Gu Mengyu, Tan Pingshan, Chen Gongbo, Wu Yuzhang, Tang
Shengzhi, Deng Yanda, Song Ziwen, Chen Qian, Zhu Peide, Zhang Fakui, Song
Qingling, He Xiangning, Lin Zuhan, Wang [X][X], Chen Youren, Jing Tingyi,
Yu Shude, Yang Baoan, Yun Daiying, Pang Zeming, Mao Zedong, Xu Suhun,
Xiao Xi, Huang Shi, Dong Yongwei, Zhan Dabei, Wang Leping, Chen Qi'ai,
Zhu Jiqing, Gao Yuhan, Chen Bijun, Jian Hao, Deng [X]xiu, Xie Jin, Kong Geng.

2. I.e., to Sun Yatsen.