KUOMINTANG WAR CRIMINALS STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE COMMUNIST PARTY
  OF CHINA


February 5, 1949


The statement on the question of peace negotiations made on January 28 by
the spokesman for the Communist Party of China was answered on January 31
by a spokesman of the reactionary traitorous Kuomintang government. In his
reply, the spokesman of the reactionary traitorous Kuomintang government
quibbled about the points raised by the spokesman for the Communist Party
of China. Concerning the demand of the Communist Party of China that the
reactionary traitorous Kuomintang government should be responsible for
re-arresting Yasuji Okamura, the chief criminal in Japan's invasion of
China, turning him over to the People's Liberation Army, keeping the
other Japanese war criminals in custody and preventing their escape, the
Kuomintang spokesman said, "This is a judicial question. It has nothing
whatsoever to do with peace negotiations, much less can it be made a precondition
for peace negotiations." Concerning the demand of the Communist Party of
China that the reactionary traitorous Kuomintang government should be responsible
for arresting Chiang Kai-shek and other war criminals, the Kuomintang spokesman
said, "For genuine peace, no preconditions should be imposed." The statement
of the spokesman for the Communist Party of China, he added, "does not seem
to be serious enough in its attitude" and, moreover, "causes complications".
On this, the spokesman for the Communist Party of China states: As recently
as January 28, our attitude was indeed not serious enough insofar as we still
spoke of the reactionary traitorous Kuomintang government as a government.
Does this so-called "government" still really exist? Does it exist in Nanking?
There is no longer any administrative organ in Nanking. Does it exist in
Canton? There is no administrative head in Canton. Does it exist in Shanghai?
There is neither an administrative organ nor an administrative head in Shanghai.
Does it exist in Fenghua? In Fenghua there is only a bogus president, who
has already announced his "retirement"; there is nothing else. Therefore,
speaking seriously, we should not have regarded it as a government; it is,
at most, a hypothetical or token government. But let us go on supposing that
there is such a token "government" and that there is a spokesman who can
speak for that "government". Then its spokesman should realize that this
hypothetical, token, reactionary, traitorous Kuomintang government has not
only contributed nothing towards peace negotiations, but has in fact caused
endless complications. Didn't you cause complication, for instance, by suddenly
declaring Yasuji Okamura not guilty at a time when you were so anxious for
negotiations? Didn't you cause further complication by sending him to Japan,
along with 260 other Japanese war criminals, after the Communist Party of
China had demanded his re-arrest? Who rules Japan today? Can it be said that
the Japanese people rule Japan, and not the imperialists? Japan is a place
you love so much that you believe the Japanese war criminals will enjoy greater
security and comfort and receive more appropriate treatment there than in
the areas you rule. Is that a judicial question? And why has this judicial
question arisen? Can it be that you have forgotten that the Japanese aggressors
fought against us for eight whole years? Does this question have nothing
whatsoever to do with peace negotiations? When the Communist Party of China
put forward the eight terms for peace negotiations on January 14, the release
of Yasuji Okamura had not yet occurred. That occurred on January 26, and
so it should be raised; it is certainly relevant to the peace negotiations.
On January 31 you obeyed MacArthur's orders and sent 260 Japanese war criminals
to Japan, together with Yasuji Okamura; the matter thus became even more
relevant to the peace negotiations. Why do you sue for peace? Because you
have been defeated in war. And why have you been defeated? Because you launched
a civil war against the people. And when did you launch this civil war? After
the Japanese surrender. And against whom did you launch this war? Against
the People's Liberation Army and the People's Liberated Areas, which had
rendered extraordinary service in the War of Resistance Against Japan. And
by what means have you waged the civil war? In addition to U.S. aid, by means
of the men you have snatched and the wealth you have plundered from the people
in the areas under your rule. No sooner had the Chinese people's great decisive
fight with the Japanese aggressors ended, no sooner had the external war
ended, than you launched this civil war. You were defeated and you asked
for negotiations, but suddenly you declared the chief Japanese war criminal
Yasuji Okamura not guilty. And no sooner had we lodged a protest, demanding
that you put him back in prison and be ready to hand him over to the People's
Liberation Army, than you hurriedly sent him to Japan with 260 other Japanese
war criminals. Gentlemen of the reactionary traitorous Kuomintang government,
this action of yours is too unreasonable and is too gross a violation of
the people's will. We have now deliberately added the word "traitorous" to
your title, and you ought to accept it. Your government has long been traitorous,
and it was only for the sake of brevity that we sometimes omitted the word;
now we can omit it no longer. In addition to all the crimes of treason you
committed in the past, you have now committed another, and a very serious
one, which must be discussed at the meeting for peace negotiations. Whether
or not you call it causing complication, the matter must be discussed; and
since it happened after January 14 and was not included in the eight terms
we originally presented, we therefore deem it necessary to add to the first
term a new item, the punishment of Japanese war criminals. So the first term
now contains two items, (a) the punishment of Japanese war criminals and
(b) the punishment of civil war criminals. We are justified in adding this
new item; it reflects the will of the people of the whole country. The people
of the whole country demand that the Japanese war criminals be punished.
Even within the Kuomintang, many think that the punishment of Yasuji Okamura
and other Japanese war criminals and the punishment of Chiang Kai-shek and
other civil war criminals are both natural and right. Whether you say we
are sincere about peace or not, the question of these two types of war criminal
must be negotiated, and both types must be punished. We instructed you to
arrest them for fear that they would escape. At this time, when we have not
yet completed preparations for the negotiations, you are pathetically anxious
to negotiate and you are restless because you have too much leisure; therefore
we have assigned you a reasonable job. These war criminals have to be arrested;
even if they flee to the remotest corners of the globe, they must be arrested.
Since you are all infinitely compassionate and merciful saviours of afflicted
mankind, since you desire to "shorten the duration of the war", "alleviate
the sufferings of the people" and "treat the salvation of the people as the
primary consideration", and since you are great-hearted people, you should
not cherish those who are responsible for the slaughter of millions of our
fellow-countrymen. Judging by your willingness to accept the punishment of
war criminals as part of the basis for negotiations, it seems you do not
cherish these creatures very much. But, since you state that you find it
rather difficult to arrest them immediately -- all right, then, prevent them
from escaping; under no circumstances must you let these creatures run away.
Just imagine, gentlemen, after you have taken all the trouble to send a
delegation to discuss with us the question of punishing these war criminals,
what would we talk about if it should turn out that they have escaped? What
a loss of face for the gentlemen of your delegation! How then would you show
your great "sincerity for peace"? How then could you gentlemen prove that
you really wish to "shorten the duration of the war", "alleviate the sufferings
of the people" and "treat the salvation of the people as the primary
consideration", and that you are not at all hypocritical? The Kuomintang
spokesman also talked a great deal of other nonsense; such nonsense can fool
nobody, and we consider it unnecessary to reply. Gentlemen of the hypothetical,
token, reactionary, traitorous Kuomintang "government" (mind you, the word
government is in inverted commas) at Nanking or Canton or Fenghua or Shanghai!
If you think that our attitude in this statement is again not serious enough,
please excuse us, for it is the only attitude we can take towards you.

Transcription by the Maoist Documentation Project.