At Present We Should Unite
to Resist Japan, and Not Issue an Order
to Suppress Chiang
(April 9, 1936, 12:00 midnight)
achieve the establishment of a national defense government is that of "stopping
the civil war." Please let us know what you think.
[Peng] Dehuai
[Mao] Zedong
(Soon after we dispatched this telegram, we received Luo Fu's telegram. We
agree with the position stated therein, but we have not yet received the manifesto. Please send it.)
Luo Fu:


1. At present we should not issue an order to suppress Chiang, but should
rather issue an open letter and a circular telegram to the people.


2. To issue an order to suppress Chiang at this point would be tactically to
obscure our highest political banner. Our banner is a call to punish Japan. To
carry out unified resistance against Japan under the banner of cessation of civil
war, and to carry out the suppression of Chiang under the banner of a call to
resistance against Japan is the political banner most convenient for waging the
civil war and suppressing Chiang. The central slogan is the cessation of civil
war. In addition to this slogan, to issue at the same time an order advocating civil
war to suppress Chiang would be inappropriate today.


3. We propose that an open letter and circular telegram be issued immediately to the people of China in the name of the Party and the soviet régime,
calling upon the people of the whole country and Chiang's officers and soldiers,
within the broader context of stopping the civil war and uniting to resist Japan, to
stand together in opposing Chiang Kaishek's acceptance of Hirota's Three Principles, and opposing the obstruction of the Red Army's resistance to Japan and
disruption in the anti-Japanese rear areas. We should declare that we wish to sign
an agreement to resist Japan and fight the traitors with all those forces under Mr.
Chiang's orders which are now obstructing the Red Army in carrying out its
tasks. Such a position is the best way to win over backward people and Chiang's
troops, and to eliminate Chiang's political capital.


4. Undoubtedly, Japan is attempting to smash our anti-Japanese united front
with an anti-Communist united front. At this time we should firmly grasp the
anti-Japanese united front, and use it to smash Japan's anti-Communist united
front. Thus our basic slogan is not to suppress Chiang, but rather to resist Japan.


5. As for the fact that it will eventually be possible and practical for a national defense government to order Chiang's suppression, that is a necessary
tactical action built upon support from more people and more armies. At this
moment the propaganda and agitation slogan that must be insisted upon to

--- Notes

We have translated this text from the 1985 annual compendium of Wenxian he yanjiu, pp.
158-59.