Reply to Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, and Ye Jianying[1]

(August 14, 1937)

The manifesto may be revised, but it absolutely must not follow Kang Ze’s proposal. Our revised draft is hereby communicated.

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[1] On August 12 in Nanjing, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, and others held discussions with the Kuomintang negotiating representatives Zhang Chong, Shao Lizi, and Kang Ze on the content of the “Manifesto of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Public Announcement of KMT-CPC Cooperation.” During these talks, Kang Ze created disruptions. He proposed: not mentioning democracy; deleting the explanations of the Three Principles of the People—nationalism, democracy, and people’s livelihood; and not mentioning reaching an understanding with the Kuomintang and jointly confronting the national crisis. At the time, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De sternly refuted this and promptly reported the situation to Mao Zedong. On August 14, Mao Zedong and Luo Fu (Zhang Wentian) sent a reply telegram to Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, and Ye Jianying. This is the main content of that telegram. In the end, the manifesto was revised according to the Communist Party’s plan and was broadcast by the Kuomintang Central News Agency on September 22.