COMRADE MAO TSE-TUNG TALKS ON CURRENT SITUATION AND THE ANTI-JAPANESE VANGUARD UNIT OF THE RED ARMY

July 1934

[Text] The correspondent of this paper called on Chairman Mao of the Central Government yesterday to inquire on the question of the current situation and the Anti-Japanese Vanguard Unit of the Red Army. The talk follows.

After seizing Manchuria and Jehol by force and gaining control of P’ing-chin [1627 6160] to achieve open traffic and communication and following its publication of the announcement of its intention to solely take over China and its presentation to the Kuomintang of a list of over 1,000 "unresolved issues"--and a demand for their resolution--Japanese imperialism has begun stepping up its new offensive to swallow up China. The Japanese Government recently presented to the United States of America its suggestion to divide the Pacific Ocean equally between the two countries. It is frenziedly preparing for an anti-Soviet Union war in northern Manchuria and held the Dailen Conference with Kuomintang representatives, clearly indicating that Japanese imperialism is striving to entangle the struggles between the imperialists in an attempt to achieve a temporary understanding among them and, together, divide up China, attack the Chinese revolution and oppose the Soviet Union. The Kuomintang Nanking Government, "the running dog of Japanese imperialism," is presently spreading smoke screens of "abrogate the Tangku Agreement" and "recover the war areas" to cover up the Dailen Conference, which is very rapidly selling out all of China and on another side, the veteran pro-Japanese Pei Yang [6296 3152] warlord. An Fu-hui [1344 4395 4762] is fully cooperating with the Kuomintang. Such important people as Wang Ke-min [3769 0344 2404] are streaming south and holding secret talks in Shanghai and Mo-ch'i-ien-hsiao [5335 0578 1115 2400] with Huang Pu [7806 5743], T'ang-Yueh-liang [0781 6389 1103] and others. Tuan Ch'i-jui [3008 4388 3843], a chieftain of An Fu-hsi, went to Lu Shan [1687 1472] and conferred in secret with Chiang Kai-shek. This kind of massive cooperation between new and old traitors vividly shows that there is a high urgency in the new offensive by Japanese imperialism. The Chinese nation has come to an extremely dangerous juncture. The fate of slavery and doom is threatening the hard-working masses of the entire country.

The new offensive of Japanese imperialism and the massive attacks of the Kuomintang on our Soviet areas are completely coordinated as one. Several hundred thousand Kuomintang troops are advancing from the doorway areas of the Soviet section-Anhwei-Kiangsi [1660 2499] Li-chuan-hsien [0448 1004], Tang-kang [7873 1481] and T'ieh-ho [3141 0735]-into the central areas to carry out the last stage of the fifth encirclement, planning to bathe the Soviet area in blood, wipe out the Soviet Red Army and be the most dutiful running dog of imperialism in carving up China. These are the special characteristics of the current situation. To protect their own territory and take punitive action against the traitors--the Kuomintang--the Soviet Government and the Red Army are leading the broad masses and the heroic and courageous Red Army to unleash the most intensive and blood battles on various fronts against the enemy. They are putting all their forces and applying all means to the task of smashing this brutal "encirclement and suppression." The Soviet and the Red Army have long ago made up their minds to smash this ferocious encirclement, no matter what happens. Now it is even more necessary for us to utilize all resoluteness, tenacity and perseverance to smash this encirclement. By so doing we will also be sure of smashing it in the end.

In the most recent period we have created 70,000 new Red Army soldiers in the Soviet area and mobilized several hundred thousand tan of grain to solve the problem of supply between seasons, and, presently, we are carrying out the great mobilization for the autumn harvest. Guerrilla forces have been greatly expanded and they are still being expanded. Guerrilla warfare is spreading on a wide scale. A mass movement of boiling salt and weaving cloth is underway to provide material support. Military industry, such as the manufacturing of ammunition, has increased by several tens of times. The Kuomintang does not even dream that we have such strength. The Kuomintang has early claimed that we were in a "very poor position" and they had won big victories. But the facts proved, and will prove in the end, that it is the rotten-to-the-core Kuomintang that is in a "very poor position." Chiang Kai-shek, very pleased with himself, began to build blockhouses for several thousand li and several tens of layers deep in the Soviet areas and boasted that this "easy-packing-fighting in packed layers" policy was soon to "succeed." True, Chiang Kai-shek has built many blockhouses and he has occupied some of our areas--Ningtu and Hsing Kuo. Many of the Kuomintang units, however, were routed and annihilated under the iron fists of the Red Army. These are things Chiang Kai-shek does not mention and prohibits from being mentioned. Such a stupid pig as Chiang Kai-shek does not understand that in the end it is Chiang Kai-shek and the entire landlord capitalist Kuomintang and not the Soviet Red Army, who will be in a "very poor position." They also do not understand that it is the imperialists who are directing the Chiang Kai-shek Kuomintang who will, in the end, be in a "very difficult position."

Let me again point out two things. First, what kind of influence is imparted to the over 1 million soldiers of theirs sent to attack our Soviet areas (Kiangsi, Szechwan, Hunan, Fukien and Hupeh-Honan-Anhwei) when confronted

with the Soviet Red Army? We would like to say that such a broad mass of soldiers were, on the one hand, forced to attack us, and on the other hand, they were receiving our revolutionary education. It can be said that the various Soviet areas are universities where the soldiers of the White armies are educated in revolution. It is not only the Red Army, but also his own soldiers, who are helping to dig the grave of Chiang Kai-shek. May I ask, does this stupid pig, Chiang Kai-shek, understand this? Second, the Kuomintang, is frantically selling out the country, daily groveling on its hands and knees before imperialism, the arch enemy of the people throughout China, and presenting China to Japanese imperialism. Not a shot was fired against the several hundred-thousand Japanese bandit troops. But all the troops it has from the three eastern provinces Jehol, Peking, Tientsin, Shanghai, Hankow, Hankou and Honan, Hopeh, Kiangsu and Chekiang were deployed to attack the Red Army while these areas were presented to imperialism to be ravaged and oppressed. Similarly, Ch'en Ch'i-t'ang [7115 3814 2768] did not guard against Hong Kong (British imperialism's base for aggression against China) but handed the Canton-Kowloon railway to the British and deployed 80 percent of his troops to Kiangsi and Fukien to attack the Red Army.

Will the broad masses of these areas allow Chiang Kai-shek and Ch'en Ch'i-t'ang to go on selling out the country like this to the very end? No. They absolutely will not. As for Chiang Kai-shek and Ch'en Ch'i-t'ang, (as well as Chang Hsueh-liang [1728 1331 5328], Ho Ch'ien-chun [0149 6943] and others), tens of thousands of bodies are buried right underneath their legs. These bombs have exploded or are exploding in some areas (the anti-Japanese Volunteer Army of the three eastern provinces of Kirin, Heilungkiang and Liaoning, the People's Revolutionary Army, the Shanghai campaign, guerrilla attacks in various areas, and people's uprisings). In some areas bombs will explode on a massive scale. Please tell me, who among the hard-working masses of the country and the soldiers of the White armies does not support the Chinese Communist Party's five big programs of opposition to the Japanese? Who does not support the order of the Soviet Central Government declaring war on Japan? Who does not accept the call made by the Soviet Central Government and the Revolutionary Military Affairs Committee to "desist from attacking the Red Army, unite with the Red Army to fight together against Japanese imperialism?" There is no doubt that if they only read or hear about our programs, order, and call, they will jump up and be willing to carry them out. There is no doubt that the storms of nationwide opposition against Japanese imperialism will break and gather force under the call of the bright, Red banner.

At a time when the Kuomintang has sold out half of China and the people throughout the country, as though anticipating rain in a time of severe drought, look forward to the Red Army's march north to fight the Japanese, the Soviet Central Government and the Revolutionary Military Affairs Committee on 1 August of this year when the working people of the world were staging massive demonstrations against the imperialist war of aggression, dispatched an anti-Japanese vanguard unit. It has been approaching Fuchow for

last 2 days and will pass through the various provinces in the east as it marches north to fight the Japanese. The purpose of this is to make the people throughout China realize that in all of China, the Red Army is the only army that is truly in opposition to the Japanese. Although the main force of the Red Army has been prevented from marching north by the Kuomintang's fifth encirclement, it is now proceeding to smash it and only after thoroughly smashing the Kuomintang's encirclement can the Red Army march north in strength. Meanwhile, it has dispatched a vanguard unit of its own forces. Although this force has only one vanguard unit, it is fully combat effective and has ample fire power. The fighters and commanders are all of high calibre and they have already shown the greatest courage in battles against the Kuomintang troops. Although this unit is not heavily equipped, we believe that it will receive the support of the people along the way. All those elements in the Kuomintang forces who are determined to fight Japan will join the ranks of this unit in an endless stream and it will very rapidly grow into a huge force for fighting the Japanese.

Chiang Kai-shek and his Nanking Government, this faithful running dog of Japanese imperialism, in order to discharge its duty, will surely send troops to block the path as the unit marches north. If this should be so, then the vanguard unit will have to fight the blocking troops of Chiang Kai-shek as it advances. This will necessitate directing massive propaganda toward the soldiers of this blocking force to win their sympathy and collapse their ranks so that the march up north will be fast. The sooner we fight the Japanese the better it will be because the new offensive of Japanese imperialism is imminent. Fangs are bared and claws unsheathed as all the imperialists prepare to divide up China and the disaster looming over the heads of the people all over the country is growing greater and greater.

We are, therefore, calling for the country to rise as one and help the Soviet Red Army so that we will be able to quickly smash the fifth encirclement and concentrate our forces to fight against Japan and oppose imperialism. Give assistance to our anti-Japanese vanguard unit so as to enable the anti-Japanese Red Army to march forward rapidly. The anti-Japanese vanguard unit of the Chinese Worker-Peasant Red Army is now on the move! Our courageous and heroic Worker-Peasant Red Army has taken concrete action to oppose the aggression of Japanese imperialism and to save China from disaster. Simultaneously, the Soviet Government and the Revolutionary Military Affairs Committee have issued orders for the Red Army throughout the country to be ready to move out at any time after the vanguard unit. But, the Kuomintang is blocking the Red Army with a huge force of several hundred thousand, deploying its entire northern army southward into Kiangsi Province. People of China, is it still unclear to you? The Kuomintang is the street sweeper for Japanese imperialism. People of the country and brothers of the White Army, oppose the Kuomintang policy of national betrayal and surrender! We demand the general mobilization of the navy, navy and air force to fight

the Japanese! Oppose the attacks against the Red Army! The guns of all the troops in China should be pointed and fired at Japanese imperialism and at the traitors who are betraying the nation! Only thus can we, and will we, be victorious over Japanese imperialism!

* "Red China," Vol 221, 1 August 1934.