LETTER FROM MAO TSE-TUNG, CHU TEH, AND OTHERS TO CHIANG KAI-SHEK
1 December 1936

[Text] Dear Mr. Kai-shek:
Since August of last year, the Communist Party Soviet and the Red Army have
asked you many times to stop the civil war and fight the Japanese together.
Response was unanimous from all parties and factions but you continued to
pursue your own way, first by ordering the encirclement and suppression as
manifested by the campaign of Chi-luo [4160 0925] township last winter. When
we attempted to march toward the Hopeh-Chahar front by crossing eastward
over the Yellow River, you blocked us at the Fen [3083] river basin. As
we did not wish to expend the strength of our national defense needlessly,
we headed west to find other means to oppose the Japanese, and, at the same
time, published a proclamation to bring you to your senses. In the past
several months the situation in eastern Suiyuan has become critical. Then
we thought you would change course and dispatch massive forces to carry out
the war of opposition against Japan. But who was to know that instead you
sent only eight regiments under T'ang En-po [3282 1869 0130] to succor Suiyuan
while amassing a huge force of 260 regiments under the command of Hu Tsungnan [5170 1350 0589], Kuan Ling-cheng [7070 7792 1767] Mao Ping-wen [3029 3621
2429], Wang Chun [3769 0971), Ho Chu-kuo [5516 2691 0365], Wang I-che [3769
0110 0772], Tung Ying-pin [5516 5391 2430], Sun Chen [1327 7201], Wan Yaohuang [8001 5069 3552], Yang Hu-ch'eng [2799 5706 1004], Ma Hung-pin [7456
7703 6333], Ma Pu-fang [7456 2965 5364], Kao Kuei-tzu [7559 2710 3320],
Kao Shuang-ch'eng [7559 7175 2052], Li Hsien-chou [2621 0103 3166], and
others to form a savage army intent upon destroying the Red Army opposing
Japan and savaging the Soviet areas battling the Japanese. We could not
return in kind the hatred you have built up in your heart so we ordered our
Red Army to stop attacking your troops and to retreat step by step in order
to protect ourselves and our bases of opposition against Japan and we loathe
its plundering offensives against us. Our enthusiasm is at its peak to aid
the officers and soldiers fighting against the Japanese at Suiyuan. You,
on the other hand, have concentrated all your forces to engage in a civil war
of killing each other. Being in the field ourselves we know only too well
the feelings and sentiments of the rank and file of the armies in the northwest, and there is no difference between theirs and ours. We greatly desire

to stop this suicidal civil war and go forth into the battlefield of war
against Japan at an early date. Look at your own troops known as the crack
brigade. They were unable to avoid the tragedy of the Shan Ch'eng Pao [1472
1004 0202] campaign. The reason is not that they were unable to fight but
that they were unwilling to have Chinese fight Chinese and would rather
surrender their weapons to the Red Army. Why do you not spend a night to
analyze the differences between the objectives sought by the people and by
the military and find the reason for it? Take heed of the worsening situation
in Suiyuan, the weakness of the forces manning the fronts, the war of opposition along the Great Wall and the 28 January Campaign of Shanghai. The
world is in turmoil. It rests on your honor. alone to make the critical decision.
It will come from you, and you alone, whether the civil war will end today
and tomorrow, the Red Army, together with the mighty forces assembled by you
in the northwest for suppression purposes, will march to the fronts of opposition against Japan. This will increase the defensive strength of Suiyuan
a dozen times over, and it will enable us to avenge the nation, protect our
lands, and recover lost territories. You will then be regarded as a glorious
hero opposing the Japanese and the fragrance of your fame will remain for a
hundred generations. Why don't you then take such a course? We have the
courage to once more beg you in all sincerity to make a decisive decision
and grant us our request to save the nation, transform enmity into friendship,
and fight the Japanese together. This will not be a great good fortune for
us alone, but it will also be the only way out for the people of the entire
country. Today we have but two choices, fight or surrender to the Japanese.
Vacillation will only bring about the destruction of the nation, slavery to
us, loss of the faith of the nation, and eternal damnation. We do not wish
to see later generations pointing at us and saying that the man who betrayed
China was Chiang Kai-shek. Instead, we want the people of China to remember
you as a hero who reformed in time to save the nation and the people. It is
said, "Fear not to correct your errors," and it is also said, "the butcher
who lays down his knife at once becomes a Buddha." We sincerely hope your
honor will observe with care which path is to be taken. We wait with impatience
your weighty decisions and knowledgeable counsel and of your intentions.

[Signed] Mao Tse-tung, Chu Teh, Chang Kuo-t'ao, Chou En-lai, Wang Chiachiang, P'eng Te-huai, Ho Lung, Jen Pi-shih [0117 1732 2514], Lin Piao,
Liu Po-ch'eng, Yeh Chien-ying, Chang Yun-i [1728 0061 6654], Hsu Shang-ch'ien,
Ch'en Ching-chih [7115 2533 3112], Hsu Hai-tung [1776 3189.2639], Tung Chent'ang [5516 2182 1016], Lo Ping-fei [5012 3521 6540], Shao Shih-p'ing [6730
1709 1627], Kuo Hung-t'ao [6753 3163 3447], and the 200,000 men of the
Chinese Red Army.

1 December 1936

On the United Front--Our proposals during the past year for opposition
against Japan and saving the nation. (Mimeographed) January 1937