To Chiang Kaishek
(December 1, 1936)

For the perusal of the honorable Mr. Kaishek:

The Communist Party, the Soviet, and the Red Army have, since August of last
year, repeatedly asked you to end the civil war and unite to resist Japan. Since
the publication of this proposal, all social groups, regardless of party affiliation,
have responded favorably. Yet you, sir, have insisted on your own views from
beginning to end, first ordering a campaign of "Encirclement and Suppression,"
which led to the battle of Zhiluozhen last winter. This spring the Red Army
crossed the Yellow River in the east for the purpose of going to the Hebei-Chahar front, but again you stopped us in the valley of the Fen River. Since we
were unwilling to see our national defense forces make meaningless sacrifices,
we commanded our army to cross the river to the west to seek alternate routes to
fighting the Japanese while, at the same time, issuing a declaration calling on
you to come to your senses. In the past few months, the situation in the eastern
parts of Suiyuan has grown increasingly critical. No sooner had we suggested
that you make a sudden change in your strategy and dispatch a huge force to
fight the Japanese than you decided to send only eight regiments, commanded by
Tang Enbo, to go to the aid of Suiyuan, which was really a drop in the bucket.
On the other hand, you concentrated 260 regiments from [the forces of] Hu
Zongnan, Guan Linzheng, Mao Bingwen, Wang Jun, He Zhuguo, Wang Yizhe,
Dong Yingbin, Sun Zheng, Wan Yaohuang, Yang Hucheng, Ma Hongbin, Ma
Bufang, Gao Guizi, Gao Shuangcheng, and Li Xianzhou¹ in a ferocious move
intended to accomplish nothing short of the complete annihilation of the Red
Army and the destruction of the anti-Japanese soviet base areas. Although we
have ordered our forces to suspend any attacks against your forces and continue
to retreat step by step, even this failed to modify your longstanding sentiments of
hostility. For the sake of our self-defense and the preservation of the armed
forces fighting the Japanese and the anti-Japanese base areas, we had no choice
but to fight the battle of Shanchengbao in Dingbian on November 21. Now the
people of the whole country have demonstrated their utmost fury toward the
Japanese bandits and their keenest support for the officers and soldiers fighting
the Japanese in Suiyuan, but you, sir, devote all your energies to a civil war of

you. If the civil war is ended today, the Red Army and your massive force sent here
to destroy the Communists will leave the battlefield of mutual butchery tomorrow to
go to the front to fight the Japanese. The forces defending our country in Suiyuan
will increase by ten times instantly. All it requires is a change of mind and a change
of heart on your part, and our country can be avenged; our country's territory can be
defended; our lost land can be recovered. You will also become a glorious hero in
the resistance against Japan, respected by all and honored forever by history. What
reasons can hold you from making such a decision? We once again sincerely beg
you to be decisive, accede to our demands that our country be saved, turn enemies
into friends, and fight Japan together. This will not be simply our great happiness; it
is really the only way out for the whole country and the whole nation. In the pressing
matters of today, the choice is between resistance and capitulation, and we can
choose only one of these. Wavering in between will destroy our nation and enslave
our people this will lose you the support of the people and subject you to condemnation by all the generations to come. We are genuinely reluctant to see our future
generations tell one another that it was Chiang Kaishek and no one else who destroyed China. Instead, we want to see our future generations look upon you, sir, as a
hero, who, after amending his errors in time, saved the country and its people. It is
often said that those who have sinned should not try to make amends by praying. It is
also said that one must put down the butcher's knife to become a Buddha. We hope
that you, sir, understand clearly which alternative to choose. The enemy has driven
deep into our country and brought the most devastating calamity upon us. Our words
are strong as our hearts are heavy. Having made this appeal, we eagerly await your
instructions.

Respectfully submitted by Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhang Guotao, Zhou Enlai,
Wang Jiaxiang, Peng Dehuai, He Long, Ren Bishi, Lin Biao, Liu Bocheng, Ye
Jianying, Zhang Yunyu, Xu Xiangqian, Chen Changhao, Xu Haidong, Dong
Zhentang, Luo Binghui, Shao Shiping, and Guo Hongtao, on behalf of the Chinese People's Red Army

--- Notes

Our source for this document is Mao Zedong shuxin xuanji, pp. 87-90, where it is reproduced from a lithographic copy in the Central Archives.
the Twenty-first Division.
mutual slaughter. As we face them on the battlefield, we know full well the emotions
of the officers and soldiers of your forces in the Northwest. Their feelings are no
different from ours; they urgently want to end the suicidal civil war and go to the
front to fight the Japanese as soon as possible. Even your own renowned crack units
could not escape the tragic fate of the battle of Shanchengbao; it was not because
these units were not capable of fighting, but because they were unwilling to see
Chinese kill Chinese. They would rather surrender their guns to the Red Army. The
will of the people and the will of the army are so much opposed to yours; why don't
you, sir, meditate on a clear night about why this is so? The situation in Suiyuan
today is deteriorating rapidly. The number of troops defending the frontlines is so
small. One must remember the lessons of the battles fought along the Great Wall and
in Shanghai on December 8. Only you, sir, alone can influence the course of events.
At the moment, the determination of the national strategy needs only one word from

--- Notes

1. Li Xianzhou (1894-1988) was a native of Shandong. At this time he commanded