On 22 April 1946, General George C. Marshall publicly criticises the Chinese Communist Party for violating peace agreements, deepening mistrust, and pushing China closer to civil war.
As we covered in our 10 January post, President Truman appointed General George Marshall as his special envoy to broker peace between the rival factions. Marshall’s mission initially appeared promising; negotiations in Chungking earlier this year led to a ceasefire agreement and the formation of joint "peace teams" intended to enforce a nationwide truce and pave the way towards a unified government.
However, optimism quickly faded. Almost immediately after agreements were finalised, skirmishes erupted, particularly in North China and Manchuria. General Marshall, speaking to journalists at a press conference in Tokyo yesterday, openly expressed his disappointment with the Chinese Communist Party. Marshall stated unequivocally that the Communists had violated "elementary terms of the truce" by attacking government-controlled troop trains and surrounding and assaulting towns recently evacuated by Soviet troops.
He accused the CCP of demonstrating false eagerness during earlier negotiations, noting they had initially appeared committed to peace only to abandon agreements when conditions seemed favourable for military advantage. Marshall described Communist accusations against the Kuomintang—branding Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek a ruthless dictator and criticising the Nationalist-led administration as a "one-party Cabinet"—as a deliberate "campaign of mudslinging and calumny," aimed at undermining government legitimacy.
The General further warned that the CCP appeared to be rushing to establish spheres of influence in strategically vital territories, driven by unfounded fears that the central government was plotting their extermination. "China," he remarked, "was the victor against Japan, but materially and economically she is utterly unbalanced. Above all, China needs good leadership and the cooperation of every single Chinese."
Picture: Portrait of General Chang Chun, General George C. Marshall, General Chou En-lai, and Dr. Hsu Mo (L to R). Source: Getty Images
World War Two
On 22 April 1946, General George C. Marshall publicly criticises the Chinese Communist Party for violating peace agreements, deepening mistrust, and pushing China closer to civil war.
As we covered in our 10 January post, President Truman appointed General George Marshall as his special envoy to broker peace between the rival factions. Marshall’s mission initially appeared promising; negotiations in Chungking earlier this year led to a ceasefire agreement and the formation of joint "peace teams" intended to enforce a nationwide truce and pave the way towards a unified government.
However, optimism quickly faded. Almost immediately after agreements were finalised, skirmishes erupted, particularly in North China and Manchuria. General Marshall, speaking to journalists at a press conference in Tokyo yesterday, openly expressed his disappointment with the Chinese Communist Party. Marshall stated unequivocally that the Communists had violated "elementary terms of the truce" by attacking government-controlled troop trains and surrounding and assaulting towns recently evacuated by Soviet troops.
He accused the CCP of demonstrating false eagerness during earlier negotiations, noting they had initially appeared committed to peace only to abandon agreements when conditions seemed favourable for military advantage. Marshall described Communist accusations against the Kuomintang—branding Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek a ruthless dictator and criticising the Nationalist-led administration as a "one-party Cabinet"—as a deliberate "campaign of mudslinging and calumny," aimed at undermining government legitimacy.
The General further warned that the CCP appeared to be rushing to establish spheres of influence in strategically vital territories, driven by unfounded fears that the central government was plotting their extermination. "China," he remarked, "was the victor against Japan, but materially and economically she is utterly unbalanced. Above all, China needs good leadership and the cooperation of every single Chinese."
Picture: Portrait of General Chang Chun, General George C. Marshall, General Chou En-lai, and Dr. Hsu Mo (L to R).
Source: Getty Images
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