The Truth About Chiang Kai-shek's "Retirement"[1]

(January 22, 1949)

[新华社陕北二十二日电] The bogus president of the Kuomintang government, Chiang Kai-shek, on the 21st declared his "retirement" on the pretext of being "unable to attend to duties due to reasons," and "in accordance with the constitution" handed over his functions to the bogus vice-president Li Tsung-jen as "acting" president. Li Tsung-jen is a tool long ago designated by the U.S. government to replace Chiang Kai-shek at the necessary moment, and it is precisely because of this that the Americans supported him in becoming bogus vice-president. Since December last year, the U.S. government has repeatedly urged Chiang Kai-shek, through various means, to step behind the scenes. According to a United Press dispatch from Shanghai dated December 18 last year, Truman directly wrote to Chiang Kai-shek in December last year, asking him "whether he had considered the question of his resignation or continuing in power." In fact, however, Chiang Kai-shek has not announced his resignation. What Chiang Kai-shek announced is that he is "unable to attend to duties due to reasons" and is temporarily leaving Nanking, but he remains the "president" of the Kuomintang government. The term "Acting President Li" appeared once in the "retirement" statement issued by Chiang Kai-shek, and was immediately corrected by the Central News Agency to "Vice-President Li," so as to prevent any misunderstanding concerning the continued existence of Chiang Kai-shek's status as "president." Before his "departure from office," Chiang Kai-shek made new arrangements for continuing the counter-revolutionary war, appointing Chen Cheng as Chairman of Taiwan Province and Commander of the Taiwan Garrison, Chiang Ching-kuo as Chairman of the Kuomintang Taiwan Provincial Party Headquarters, Chu Shao-liang as Director of the Fuzhou Pacification Headquarters and concurrently Chairman of Fukien Province, Fang Tien as Chairman of Kiangsi Province, Yu Han-mou as Director of the Canton Pacification Headquarters, Hsueh Yueh as Chairman of Kwangtung Province, and Chang Chun as Director of the Chungking Pacification Headquarters. At the same time the Executive Yuan of the Kuomintang government passed the absurd resolution on the 19th for "an immediate
and unconditional ceasefire in advance," it notified the diplomatic envoys of various countries stationed in Nanking to move to Canton. All actual power in the Kuomintang government remains in the hands of the Chiang clique and Chiang Kai-shek himself. All signs show that the reactionary Kuomintang government in Nanking has not the slightest sincerity in accepting genuine democratic peace.

--- Notes

[1] This is a news dispatch from the New China News Agency. The portions printed in Song typeface were added and revised by Mao Zedong.