Telegram of the Central Committee
of the Chinese Communist Party
to the Third Plenum
of the Chinese Guomindang
(February 10, 1937)
For the perusal of the gentlemen of the Third Plenum of the Chinese
Guomindang:

The whole country rejoices at the peaceful solution of the Xi'an Incident; it is
truly a blessing for the state and the nation that the policy of peace, unification,
and unity in resistance against foreign aggression has finally been put into practice. At this critical juncture, when the Japanese bandits are rampant and the
survival of the Chinese nation hangs in the balance, this Party hereby expresses
its sincere hope that the Third Plenum of your honorable party will, on the basis
of this policy, establish the following points as national policy:
1. Stop the civil war on all fronts and concentrate the strength of the country
to cope with the foreign invasion;
2. Guarantee freedom of speech, assembly, and association, and release all
political prisoners;
3. Call a conference attended by representatives from all parties, all factions,
all circles, and all armies, gathering the talented people of the whole country for
a concerted effort to save the nation;
4. Swiftly complete all preparations for the war of resistance against Japan;
5. Improve the livelihood of the people.
If your honorable party's Third Plenum resolutely and determinedly establishes this as national policy, then this Party, to demonstrate its sincerity in unity
against foreign aggression, is willing to pledge to the Third Plenum of your
honorable Party that it will do the following:
1. Abandon the policy of armed uprising aimed at the overthrow of the National Government in all parts of the country;
2. Rename the Soviet Government as the Special District Government of the
Republic of China and the Red Army as the National Revolutionary Army,
directly under the orders of the Central Government in Nanjing and its Military
Commission;
3. In the areas under the jurisdiction of the Special District Government,
practice thorough democracy based on general elections;
4. Abandon the policy of confiscating the land of the landlords and adhere
resolutely to the common program of the national united front against Japan.
The national crisis is daily growing more acute, and time waits for no man.
This Party can vow to heaven its loyalty to the nation, and you gentlemen are
eager in your service to the country. You will assuredly be able to accept the
request of this Party, so that a national united front for resistance against aggression and the salvation of the nation will be formed from this time onward. We
are all descendants of the Yellow Emperor, sons and daughters of the Chinese
nation. Faced with national crisis, there is no alternative save to discard all our
prejudices, cooperate closely with one another, and dedicate ourselves to the
great common prospect of the final emancipation of the Chinese nation. This
telegram is to convey this message, and we look forward to being enlightened by
your instruction.

With national-revolutionary salutations!

The Central Committee
of the Chinese Communist Party

--- Notes

Our source for this telegram is Mao Zedong ji. Bujuan, Vol. 5, pp. 57-58, where it is
reproduced from Xin Zhonghua bao, February 10, 1937, in which it was first published.