Mr. Zhang Hanqing:

It has been over a year since the Communist Party of China proposed to all parties, groups, sectors, and armed forces across the nation the formation of an anti-Japanese national united front. Although this proposal has won the support of the people throughout the country, the Chinese Kuomintang has not only adopted a hesitant and indecisive attitude to this day but, at a time when the Japanese aggressors are preparing a new large-scale offensive, has instead ordered Hu Zongnan’s troops to penetrate deep into Shaanxi and Gansu to coordinate with the forces under your command in expanding the internecine civil war.

We formally declare that, in order to swiftly carry out the policy of ceasing the civil war and uniting to resist Japan, we will take the initiative to halt attacks on Kuomintang forces, provided that they do not obstruct the Red Army’s path to resist Japan or encroach upon its anti-Japanese rear areas. This serves as our resolute expression of a ceasefire and commitment to resisting Japan, as we quietly await the awakening of the Kuomintang authorities. Only when Kuomintang forces attack us will we, in self-defense, deliver necessary counterblows—this, too, is aimed at promoting the awakening of the Kuomintang authorities.

You, sir, are the leader of the various armies in the Northwest and a key figure bearing responsibility at this crossroads between civil war and the war of resistance. If you can give due consideration to the way out for the Chinese nation at this critical historical juncture, we urge you to make a prompt decision and immediately halt the offensives by the Northwestern armies against the Red Army. We also request that you convey our views to Mr. Chiang Kai-shek so that he may swiftly reach a decision and dispatch official representatives from both sides to negotiate the specific terms for a ceasefire and joint resistance against Japan.

We have drafted a proposed agreement between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party for resisting Japan and saving the nation, which we hereby submit for your esteemed perusal.

With the enemy’s aggression deepening and calamity pressing, we hope that you, sir, will act swiftly to address this.

Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai
October 5

Published based on the Selected Letters of Mao Zedong, People’s Publishing House, 1983.

Notes
[1] Zhang Xueliang, courtesy name Hanqing. See p. 371, note 10 of this volume.
[2] Hu Zongnan (1896–1962), a native of Xiaofeng, Zhejiang (now part of Anji County). At the time, he served as commander of the First Army of the Kuomintang forces.
[3] See pp. 446–448 of this volume.