The Policy That Local Authorities Across the Country
Should Adopt Toward the National War of Resistance[1]

(July 14, 1937)

At this moment, the tasks of all parties are, on the one hand, to spur Chiang Kai-shek into forming the final resolve for a national war of resistance (there may still be problems on this point); and on the other hand, to genuinely prepare all steps for resisting Japan and saving the nation on our own, and to carry them out together with Nanjing.

For this is a moment of life or death for the entire nation, and also a moment when Chiang and the Kuomintang must thoroughly transform their policy. Therefore, our actions and those of all parties must conform to the above-mentioned general policy.

[1] This is the main content of a telegram from Mao Zedong to Zhang Yunyi concerning the policy that the local authorities in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Sichuan should adopt toward the national war of resistance.