PROCLAMATION OF THE PROVISIONAL CENTRAL GOVERNMENT AND THE MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMISSION OF THE WORKER-PEASANT RED ARMY

15 April 1933

[Text] Masses of all China!

On 1 May we shall solemnly convey our revolutionary greetings to the toiling masses of all China, to the workers and peasants and urban poor groaning under the blood-stained leadership of the KMT, to the fighters who were oppressed into opposing the Chinese workers and peasants in the revolutionary struggle and youth participating in the anti-imperialist struggle, and to the hundreds and thousands of revolutionary prisoners incarcerated and oppressed in KMT prisons!

The continuing attacks of Japanese imperialism, the unprecedented buildup of a crisis threatening the total dismemberment of China, and the profundity of the crisis of the whole people impels us to make a further declaration to all people fighting for the interests of China and to the toiling masses. The characteristic of the present situation is the totally unchecked rush of the Japanese imperialists into Peking and Hankow. At the same time the British imperialists are attacking in Sinkiang and are preparing, through their puppets, in Tibet and elsewhere to occupy Western China. In the secret talks now being held by the Japanese and the KMT, Chiang Kai-shek has made yet another deal with the imperialist bandits. The secretaries of the Central Political Committee of the KMT, with powers to represent the Nanking government and Chiang Kai-shek, are holding secret talks with the Japanese representative Yoshizawa in Shanghai. Chiang Kai-shek--the executioner of the Chinese workers and peasants and the chief criminal who in 1929 asked the Japanese to occupy Shantung and in 1932 secretly massacred the defenders of Shanghai--has now abandoned the northern front and is once again promoting the traitor Yang Yu-ting who opened the road for the Japanese invasion of Jehol. When Chiang Kai-shek went to the north he waged no war against Japanese imperialism, but recognized the handiwork of his friend, the traitor Hsueh-liang.

The southwest government and the Fukien warlords alike have failed to oppose Japan or any other imperialists; their recent propaganda about "opposing Japan in the North" has been nothing but falsehoods designed to deceive the masses. They are really intent upon expanding their own lands and attacking the soviets and the Red Army.

Why does Chiang Kai-shek want to return to Kiangsi? Why has he abandoned the northern areas, leaving them empty-handed against the Japanese artillery and aircraft? Why have the KMT and their government concentrated large numbers of units, all their aircraft and military equipment to oppose the workers and peasants of Kiangsi? Because they are now bargaining with Japan and all the imperialists to make China into their private possession and betray it utterly. Because they hope that the Japanese and the other imperialists will allow them to become puppet rulers of a few provinces, as they did in the case of "Manchukuo". Because they want to massacre the Chinese masses in order to support imperialism and the rule of the Chinese landlord bourgeoisie.

In order to cover up their surrender and treason, the KMT have fabricated the myth that Japanese imperialism is helping the Red Army with money and ammunition, spreading the slander that the Chinese Soviet Government is holding talks with warlords. This base and shameless rumor has already been shattered by many ironclad facts.

The Chinese Soviet Government and the Worker-Peasant Red Army are the only mass political power and armed force opposing all imperialist invasions, and in repeated heroic combats, the Chinese Soviet Red Army has been shown to be constant in its stance to all imperialists: we are inseparably connected with the Japanese workers and peasants because they too are carrying on a heroic struggle in opposition to Japanese imperialism, and they too have been slandered, opposed and massacred by the ruling class. But the Japanese imperialists and warlords are our common enemy.

We are engaged in a struggle for the interests of the toiling masses of all China and for Chinese independence, unification and territorial integrity. At present we must wage war against Japan and the other imperialists, and we will overthrow anyone who opposes that war.

We have complete faith that the struggle of the Chinese worker-peasant fighters and the heroic defense of the Red Army will be able to prevent imperialism, Chiang Kai-shek and the bankrupt KMT from realizing their plan to dismember China.

In the last 3 months the workers and peasants of Kiangsi and their Red Army have smashed more than nine enemy divisions. In several battles they captured more than 30,000 men and weapons, along with large amounts of military supplies and innumerable weapons. About 10,000 troops from the KMT armies have already joined the Kiangsi Red Army of their own free will.

The Red Army in Hunan, Hupeh, Honan and Szechwan have also been growing rapidly. From the proclamations of the commander of the 32nd division and the commander and staff of the 59th division, recently captured in Kiangsi, it can be clearly seen how profound the disintegration of the KMT army is; they denounce the KMT and Chiang Kai-shek, express penitence for their own past crimes in opposing the Chinese workers and peasants and ask the fighters and officers of the White army to aim their attacks at the Soviet areas, turn the guns around and attack the KMT traitors who are selling out our motherland. In view of the recent great victories of the Red Army and the waverings of their front-line troops, as well as the hatred of the masses of the entire country, the traitorous Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Ching-wei now hope, by means of such arbitrary propaganda as "exterminating the communists is resisting the Japanese" and "no discussion of resisting the Japanese until the communists are wiped out" to hinder the revolutionizing of the broad masses of fighters and to cover up their own treason and surrender. But such deceit and threats cannot succeed. Quite the opposite: they only serve to further expose their wickedness.

In view of the current situation and our victory it behooves us once again to transmit the proposal we made in January to smash the slander of the KMT regarding hindrance by the Red Army and the workers and peasants in the Soviets of the effective resistance to the Japanese. We believe that if only we can actively oppose the invasion of the Japanese imperialists as we proposed before, it will immediately be possible, and accordingly we once again declare our proposal to the entire nation: Under the following conditions the Chinese Red Army is prepared to conclude a wartime agreement with any armed units to oppose the Japanese imperialist attack:

1. That it immediately stop the attacks on the Chinese Soviet areas;

2. That it immediately guarantee the democratic rights of the masses (assembly, association, speech, publication, and demonstration, and the release of political prisoners);

3. That it immediately arm the masses and form armed militia units to guard China and win China's independence, unification and territorial integrity. Every worker, peasant and fighter can understand that without the above conditions a victorious war against the imperialists is impossible. The KMT policy is bankrupt. It is leading to the dismemberment of China and the further enslavement of China's masses, and it continues to increase the suffering, hunger and massacre of the masses.

We call on all workers and fighters among the broad masses of the people, in the army and the militia, to intensify their work to make them accept our policy of national revolution. We call upon all toiling masses to support us in defending China and the power of the people.

Chairman of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic,
Vice-Chairmen Hsiang Ying, Chang Kuo-tao
Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee of the Chinese Worker-Peasant Red Army

15 April 1933
""Historical Materials on the Ups and Downs of the Intra-Party Conflict in the Chinese Communist Party"" by Hsiao Tso-liang; Washington University, 1967.
"Struggle! Shanghai, No 40, 21 April 1933