To Colonel Marshall S. Carter
#5-572
To Colonel Marshall S. Carter
October 6, 1946 Radio No. GOLD 1605. [Nanking, China]
Top Secret, Eyes Alone
Reference my GOLD 1600 dated October 5, consider all of that message which follows the sentence commencing “Despite present vicious Communist propaganda etc.” shall be considered cancelled and the following paragraphs substituted: “Sunday, October 6, since the foregoing was written and dispatched to Washington the following transpired: The Generalissimo learned indirectly yesterday evening that I was dispatching a recommendation to the President that I be recalled. He sent for Doctor Stuart and discussed with him the possibility of a truce in the operations against Kalgan to permit of a meeting of the Five Man Group to determine the representation on the State Council and also regarding the announcement of the Communist delegates to the National Assembly, and a meeting of the Committee of Three to determine on the reorganization and redisposition of the troops under the basic agreement of February 25.
This morning Doctor Stuart and I had a two and one half hour interview with the Generalissimo with the following results. He remained unwilling at this time to utilize my previous recommendation for a public statement by him including specific conditions (see GOLD 1588). He insisted upon the method of a ten day truce at this time to meet the situation, during which the Five Man Group under Doctor Stuart would settle upon a representation for the State Council and establish a basis for the announcement of the Communist delegates to the National Assembly. At the same time the Committee of Three under my chairmanship would meet to arrange for the immediate implementation of the program for the reorganization of the army, the location of the Communist divisions and schedule of movements thereto. He desired that this method be put forward as a proposal of Doctor Stuart and myself to which we agreed.
He agreed to the arrangement whereby teams from Executive Headquarters would insure that no movements or actions occurred on either side in violation of the truce. The teams within the Communist lines are not repeat not to have a Government representative and the teams within the Government lines are not repeat not to have a Communist representative. The teams between the lines would have a representative from both parties. The American member would have the sole right to determine where and when a team would move and would report on the situation direct.
He further agreed that both Government and Communist parties should refrain from any announcement regarding the truce, leaving that function to Doctor Stuart and myself.
Chou En-lai’s representative here in Nanking will be called in this afternoon and informed in accordance with the foregoing. Under these circumstances the latter part of my message of last night, GOLD 1600, should be cancelled but I think it would be to your advantage in reaching an understanding of the situation to read what I then proposed and later directed Colonel Carter to delay in transmission until I could learn this morning of the intentions of the Generalissimo.
I will inform you as quickly as possible of the reaction of the Communists.”
Note for Carter:
Submit to the President and Acting Secretary a redraft of the message as above directed and attach to it plainly labelled “Cancelled portion of GOLD 1600 for background information only.”
Document Copy Text Source: Records of the Department of State (RG 59), Lot Files, Marshall Mission, Military Affairs, GOLD Messages, National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Maryland.
Document Format: Typed radio message.
Recommended Citation: ThePapers of George Catlett Marshall, ed.Larry I. Bland and Sharon Ritenour Stevens (Lexington, Va.: The George C. Marshall Foundation, 1981– ). Electronic version based on The Papers of George Catlett Marshall, vol. 5, “The Finest Soldier,” January 1, 1945–January 7, 1947 (Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003), pp. 710–711.