Thoroughly Eliminate the Diehards and Do Everything Possible to Win Over Those Who Still Have Hope[1]

(February 11, 1939)

Our policy has two aspects: toward the anti-communist diehards we adopt a policy of resolute counter-attack and thorough elimination, and toward all those who still have hope we adopt a policy of doing everything possible to win them over. Shen Honglie[2] belongs to the diehards and has created friction against us in every way; therefore, he must be resolutely eliminated under the principle of self-defence. In the struggle to strike at Shen Honglie (Qin Qirong[3] is the worst part of his force), attention must be paid to dividing his subordinates and winning over those elements who still have hope. Yu Xuezhong[4] is different from Shen Honglie; he is one who still has hope. Except that resolute blows should be dealt to his anti-communist political training personnel, every effort should be made to win over the Northeast Army, or at least to make it adopt a neutral attitude. It is hoped that Liu and Deng[5] will handle the friction incidents in Hebei in the same way.

[1] This is the main content of a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission in reply to Xu Xiangqian, Zhu Rui, Chen Guang, and Luo Ronghuan.

[2] Shen Honglie was then Chairman of the Kuomintang Shandong Provincial Government, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Kuomintang Lusu War Zone, and concurrently Commander-in-Chief of the Shandong Guerrilla Forces.

[3] Qin Qirong was then Director of the Kuomintang Shandong Provincial Government’s Office in Southern Shandong and concurrently Commander of the Third Guerrilla Column of the Kuomintang Lusu War Zone.

[4] Yu Xuezhong was then Commander-in-Chief of the Kuomintang Lusu War Zone.

[5] Liu and Deng refer to Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping.