Directive to Zhou Enlai[1]

(September 15, 1942)

Domestic relations always shift in accordance with international relations. Chiang Kai-shek’s first anti-communist tide occurred during the period of the German-Soviet Pact, the Soviet-Finnish War, and the Anglo-American anti-Soviet stance; the second anti-communist tide occurred during the period when the German-Soviet Pact continued to exist, Anglo-American-Soviet relations had yet to improve, and the Axis powers had formed the Tripartite Pact. Since the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, Anglo-American-Soviet relations have improved, and up to the present day, there have been no major conflicts between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. Our present task is to facilitate negotiations between the two parties and to promote concrete solutions to problems. It is said that Chiang Kai-shek has already returned to Chongqing. We still want Lin Biao, after arriving in Xi’an, to request to go to Chongqing, in order to open up a path for negotiations.

[1] On the 14th, Zhou Enlai telegraphed Mao Zedong, stating that historically the united front policy has always taken KMT-CPC cooperation as the principal aspect, with local forces and minor parties as supplementary. However, during the Wuhan period, too much emphasis was placed on KMT-CPC cooperation, even to the point of fantasizing about certain achievements, while completely neglecting the various minor parties and local forces, and being intimidated by the Kuomintang, which instead made it easier for them to manipulate the situation—this cannot but be a lesson. During the Chongqing period, under the guidance of the three principles of struggle and the revolutionary policies determined by Mao Zedong, united front work both domestically and internationally has achieved new developments. This is Mao Zedong’s directive to Zhou Enlai on the 15th.