North China, the Northeast, and Other
Areas Must Be Returned to People’s
Self-Governance1
 (November 3, 1945)
AB to CD [The Central Committee to the CPC Delegation in Chongqing],
November 3rd:
We received yesterday’s telegram. The present situation is to our advantage,
and we must achieve the following objectives: North China, the Northeast, northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui, and the entire border region must be returned to the
people’s self-governance (as Sun Yatsen advocated); a small contingent of Central
Army troops may be temporarily stationed in Beiping, Tianjin, and Qingdao, but
they too must withdraw in the future. As for the Central Army troops elsewhere,
those that have already arrived must withdraw, and those that are yet to arrive
must halt their advance. Yan Xishan and Fu Zuoyi2 must be dismissed, and all
provincial governments must be chosen by the people; political committees must
be set up in North China and the Northeast to exercise centralized administration
of the various provinces; the central government must not be allowed to violate
the principle of self-rule by dispatching officials, and those who have already
been dispatched must be recalled. The question of the Northeast should be raised
now. In all areas of North China, we are to be in charge of receiving the surrender of all Japanese and puppet troops. As for the various transport routes in
North China, once the Japanese and the puppets have surrendered their arms and
Chiang’s armies have withdrawn, the political committees chosen by the people
will be responsible for restoring them. It is impossible to restore them at present because the enemy armies have not yet surrendered their arms, the puppet
armies have not yet been destroyed, and Chiang’s armies have launched a civil
war. After these problems are resolved, our side will be in charge of recovery,
but right now it is absolutely impossible. It should be openly recognized that
Our source for this text is Mao Zedong wenji, Vol. 4, pp. 57–58, where it is reproduced
from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.
1.  This telegram was sent by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
to its representatives in Chongqing.
2.  Fu Zuoyi was commander of the Guomindang’s Twelfth War Zone. Yan Xishan was
commander of the Guomindang’s Second War Zone.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-72

destruction of the railways is absolutely necessary for the purposes of surrender,
annihilating the puppet armies, and halting the civil war, so there is nothing wrong
with it whatsoever. In addition, Chiang’s armies must withdraw from all counties
they have seized. Please warn Chiang’s side that our side categorically refuses to
accept not being the ones throughout North China to receive the enemy’s surrender. The Northeast is to be defended and public order is to be maintained there by
the Northeast People’s Autonomous Army; the Central Army is prohibited from
entering the area, and if civil war breaks out, they [Chiang’s side] will be held
responsible.