October 10, 1939

[This was a decision drafted by Comrade Mao Tse-tung for the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of China.]


1. The outbreak of the imperialist world war is the result of the
attempt of the imperialist countries to extricate themselves from a new economic
and political crisis. Whether on the German side or the Anglo-French, the
war is unjust, predatory and imperialist in character. The Communist Parties
throughout the world must firmly oppose this war and also the criminal action
of the social-democratic parties in betraying the proletariat by supporting
it. The socialist Soviet Union is persevering as before in its policy of
peace, is maintaining strict neutrality towards both belligerents and, by
sending its armed forces into Poland, has checked the eastward expansion
of the German forces of aggression, strengthened peace in Eastern Europe,
and liberated its brother nations in western Ukraine and Byelorussia from
the oppression of the Polish rulers. The Soviet Union has concluded a number
of pacts with neighbouring countries to prevent any possible attacks by the
forces of international reaction and is endeavouring to restore world peace.

2. The policy of Japanese imperialism in this new international situation
is to concentrate its attacks on China in order to settle the China question,
in preparation for extending its international adventures in the future.
The policy by which it is attempting to settle the China question is as follows:

  (a) With regard to the occupied areas, its policy is to tighten its hold
  on them in preparation for subjugating the whole of China. To do this it
  has to "mop up" the anti-Japanese guerrilla base areas, exploit economic
  resources, set up puppet regimes and break the people's national spirit.

  (b) With regard to China's rear areas, its policy is to launch mainly political
  offensives, supplemented by military offensives. Political offensives mean
  concentration not on launching large scale military attacks but on disrupting
  the anti-Japanese united front, breaking up Kuomintang-Communist co-operation
  and inducing the Kuomintang government to capitulate.


In the present period the enemy is not likely to launch big strategic offensives
like the one against Wuhan, because of the blows dealt by China's heroic
resistance during the past two years and of the inadequacy of his armed strength
and financial resources. In this sense, basically the War of Resistance has
reached the stage of strategic stalemate. And the stage of strategic stalemate
is the stage of preparation for our counter-offensive. But first, when we
say that basically a stalemate has been reached, we do not rule out the
possibility of further offensive campaigns by the enemy; Changsha is now
being attacked and other places may be attacked later. Second, as the possibility
of a stalemate at the front grows, the enemy will intensify his "mopping-up"
operations against our guerrilla base areas. Third, if China should fail
to disrupt the enemy's occupation of the areas he has seized and allow him
to succeed in his attempts to tighten his hold on them and exploit them,
if China should fail to repulse the enemy's political offensives and to persist
in resistance, unity and progress and thus fail to accumulate strength for
the counter-offensive, or if the Kuomintang government should capitulate
of its own accord, then the enemy may still launch bigger offensives. In
other words, the stalemate that has now been reached may still be broken
by the enemy or by the capitulators.

3. The danger of capitulation, a split and retrogression within the anti-Japanese
united front is still the greatest current danger, and the present anti-Communist
and retrogressive actions of the big landlords and the big bourgeoisie continue
to be preparatory steps to their capitulation. In order to build up strength
for the counter-offensive, it is still our task, in co-operation with all
Chinese patriots, to mobilize the masses for the effective application of
the three great political slogans put forward in our Party's Manifesto of
July 7: "Persist in resistance and oppose capitulation", "Persist in unity
and oppose a split", and "Persist in progress and oppose retrogression".
To achieve this objective, behind the enemy lines it is imperative to keep
up guerrilla warfare, defeat the enemy's "mopping-up" operations, disrupt
the enemy's occupation of the areas he has seized, and introduce radical
political and economic changes beneficial to the masses who are resisting
Japan. At the front, it is imperative to sustain military defence and repel
any offensive campaigns the enemy may launch. In China's rear area, it is
imperative to introduce speedy and genuine political reforms, end the
Kuomintang's one-party dictatorship, convene a national assembly truly
representative of the people's will and invested with real power, draw up
and adopt a constitution, and put constitutional government into practice.
Any vacillation or procrastination, any contrary policy, is absolutely wrong.
At the same time the leading bodies of our Party at all levels and all Party
members must exercise more vigilance in the present situation and do their
utmost to achieve the ideological, political and organizational consolidation
of our Party and of the armed forces and organs of political power under
its leadership, in order to be ready for any emergency endangering the Chinese
revolution and to prevent unexpected losses to the Party and the revolution.


Transcription by the Maoist Documentation Project.