Comrades Zhu, Zhang, and Ren,[1]

A. Your telegram has been received.
To move westward, we must seek assistance from the Soviet Union. We have already sent several telegrams to the Comintern and dispatched Deng Fa[2] to Moscow via Xinjiang to make the request. They are waiting for Deng Fa to arrive and ascertain the situation before giving a reply. Your telegram has been forwarded. The deployment of the three front armies from September to November will proceed according to the agreed-upon plan.

B. The greatest enemy of China is Japanese imperialism. It is wrong to simultaneously oppose Japan and Chiang Kai-shek. Since February, we have begun to change this slogan. In March, representatives from Nanjing came to make contact. We proposed general conditions before proceeding to Nanjing. In June and August, Nanjing sent two more communications. In early August, the Political Bureau discussed the policy toward Nanjing, the general outline of which was conveyed in our previous telegrams to you. However, our assessment was still insufficient, and in late August, the Comintern issued further instructions. At present, our liaison representatives have once again gone to Nanjing to make contact, and formal responsible representatives from both sides are engaging in specific negotiations. Judging by the situation, there is hope for success. On Nanjing’s side, the issue is not just about us but also about aligning with the Soviet Union. Given that Nanjing has appointed Jiang Tingfu as ambassador to the Soviet Union, there is also hope for success in aligning with the Soviet Union. We have now issued the "Letter of the Chinese Communist Party to the Chinese Kuomintang,"[3] which is our new manifesto, incorporating new elements such as a democratic republic, a democratic national assembly, and a democratic government. The Comintern’s political directive to the Chinese Party has arrived, and after discussion by the Political Bureau, we will inform you of it.

C. You must not raise the slogan of overthrowing the Central Army or any Chinese army. On the contrary, you should raise the slogan of uniting to resist Japan. Send personnel to make contact with the forces of Mao and Wang[4] and others. Only engage in combat with them when they oppose us in areas we must occupy, but at the same time, carry out propaganda and negotiations. We hope you will reform your propaganda work in accordance with this policy.

D. Do not adopt a genuinely offensive stance toward any part of Zhang Xueliang’s[5] forces. Write letters to his division, brigade, and battalion commanders and conduct widespread propaganda among the soldiers. Until our negotiations with Nanjing yield results, the various northwestern units under Zhang Xueliang’s command, including the Northeastern Army, cannot yet cease their hostile actions against us. The He and Yu[6] units of the Northeastern Army have been less influenced by us so far. He has ties with Chiang, and Zhang cannot disclose the matter of aligning with the Red Army to him. You must intensify your efforts.

E. The plan you proposed to advance into Sichuan, Shaanxi, Henan, and Hubei represents a posture of attacking Nanjing. It is only feasible and necessary if we cannot move into the northwest and if negotiations with Nanjing break down. We have already telegraphed this point to the Comintern. The two plans we proposed to the Comintern are to move into the northwest and, if unavoidable, to move into the southeast.

F. Dehuai[7] is commanding the field army at the front. Yuying[8] is conducting work among the Northeastern Army in Huan County. We are in Bao’an.

Luo, En, Bo, Ze[9]
September 8, 1936

Printed based on a copy preserved in the Central Archives.

**Notes**
[1] Zhu refers to Zhu De. Zhang refers to Zhang Guotao (1897–1979), a native of Pingxiang, Jiangxi, then a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and General Political Commissar of the Red Army. Ren refers to Ren Bishi (1904–1950), a native of Xiangyin, Hunan, then a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Political Commissar of the Second Front Army of the Red Army.
[2] Deng Fa (1906–1946), a native of Yunfu, Guangdong, then an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.
[3] Refers to the "Letter of the Chinese Communist Party to the Chinese Kuomintang" dated August 25, 1936. See pp. 424–433 of this volume.
[4] Mao refers to Mao Bingwen (1891–1970), a native of Xiangxiang, Hunan, then commander of the 37th Army of the Kuomintang forces. Wang refers to Wang Jun (1891–1936), a native of Chenggong, Yunnan, then commander of the 3rd Army of the Kuomintang forces.
[5] Zhang Xueliang, see note [10] on p. 371 of this volume.
[6] He refers to He Zhuguo (1897–1985), a native of Rongxian, Guangxi, then commander of the Cavalry Army of the Kuomintang forces. Yu refers to Yu Xuezhong, see note [11] on p. 371 of this volume.
[7] Dehuai, i.e., Peng Dehuai, then commander and political commissar of the Western Field Army of the Red Army.
[8] Yuying, i.e., Lin Yuying (1897–1942), also known as Zhang Hao, a native of Huanggang (now Huangzhou), Hubei. He previously served as a representative of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions to the Red International of Labor Unions and as a member of the CPC delegation to the Comintern. He returned to China in November 1935 and arrived in northern Shaanxi. In December 1935, he was appointed secretary of the White Area Work Committee of the CPC Central Committee. In January 1936, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee decided that Lin Yuying would participate in the work of the Political Bureau.
[9] Luo, En, Bo, Ze refer to Luo Fu (Zhang Wentian), Zhou Enlai, Bo Gu (Qin Bangxian), and Mao Zedong, all of whom were then members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.