Telegram of Congratulations to the
"May Thirtieth" Rallies on the Movement
of Mobilization for the Resistance War Held
by All Garrisons and Military Formations
(May 22, 1938)
To the senior officers of all units, and for transmittal to all officers and men:
We are extremely moved and gratified by the spirit of resolute struggle with which
all the armies in our rear areas have carried out the present fighting and educational tasks, at a time when the Japanese bandits are constantly making ever more
ferocious attacks against us, thus bringing about another step forward in the consolidation and enhancement of the foundation of our army units.
The mass meetings to mobilize people for the War of Resistance which will be
held by all military units on May 30¹ are a day for reviewing and strengthening our
fighting forces. It is hoped that at these rallies, both the strong and weak points of
our work will be examined, thus providing an orientation to guide our future work,
so that it may make further strides forward toward regularization on the basis of
current progress.
At present, the Japanese bandits are madly attacking Longhai and Xuzhou and
are once again planning to attack Wuhan and Xi'an. Only if the War of Resistance
throughout the whole country is infused with the spirit of a protracted and arduous
struggle can it attain final victory. Every commander and fighter of ours should,
during and after this mass meeting to mobilize people for the War of Resistance
now and in the future, further display a high degree of fighting spirit, heighten
political vigilance, eliminate all bad tendencies in the armed forces, and consolidate and put in order our own forces, thereby preparing ourselves to meet and beat

This text was first published in Xin Zhonghua bao, May 25, 1938. Our source is Mao
Zedong ji. Bujuan, Vol. 5, pp. 175-76, which reproduces that version.
1. May 30, 1925, was the date on which police in Shanghai, under British command,
had shot down workers in Shanghai protesting against low wages and poor working conditions. The initial clash leading to these events had taken place on May 15 at a Japanese-owned cotton mill, and the anniversary of the May 30 killings continued to be the occasion
for anti-Japanese demonstrations. For ironic comments by Mao half a year afterward, see
his article of December 13, 1925, in Volume II, pp. 290-92.