Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "290015596",
    "label": "Letter from General George C. Marshall to President Harry S. Truman, with Related Note",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290015596"
}

{
    "id": "290015596",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290015596",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Letter from General George C. Marshall to President Harry S. Truman, with Related Note",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290015596",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Subject Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Stuart, John Leighton, 1876-1962",
        "Chou, En-lai, 1898-1976"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750331/750331-34-001.tif",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750331/750331-34-001.tif",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750331/750331-34-001.tif",
    "imageCount": 6,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290015596",
    "naId": 290015596,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "logicalDate": "1946-10-01",
            "month": 10,
            "year": 1946
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 5,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750331/750331-34-005.tif",
    "mediaId": "7927753b64b6588e",
    "ocrText": "DECLASSIFIED\nTOP SECRET\nO. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E)\nOSD letter, April 12, 1974\nBy NLT- He 2 NARS Date 7-14-23\n\"7. In order to insure that the four promises made by the General-\nissimo at the opening session of the Political Consultative Council will\nbe carried out, the political prisoners should be released and the news-\npapers, magazines and civic bodies abandoned since January should be\nrestored. Further, the secret service should be abolished.\n\"8. In accordance with the military resolutions of the Political\nConsultative Council, the division of military and civil affairs should\nbe strictly carried out and the demobilization should be started afresh.\n\"The above eight points are all within the scope of the stipulations\nof the Political Consultative Council and they should all be carried out.\n\"Speaking briefly, I (Chou) could put it this way--that the informal\nFive Man Committee and the steering committee of the Political Consulta-\ntive Council would merely discuss as to how to implement the Political\nConsultative Council. They could determine whether certain points are\nin contravention to the Political Consultative Council resolutions.\n\"These were the circumstances that I was going to put into my reply\nto the Generalissimo's memorandum of October 2nd.\n\"To put it still more briefly, it can be said that the attack against\nKalgan should be stopped indefinitely in order to avoid a nationwide\nsplit so that the Committee of Three and the informal Five Man Group and\nthe steering committee of the Political Consultative Council will be\nconvened to discuss the truce and the implementation of the Political\nConsultative Council resolutions. This will be my specific reply to the\nGeneralissimo.\n\"There are two other points that I would like to make:\n\"1. The Communist Party does not agree to the assistance given by\nthe American Government to the Kuomintang Government while the civil war\nis still going on. It further cannot agree to the fact that the United\nStates troops in China have not yet been withdrawn as it was promised\nbefore.\n\"2. I took notice of the fact that the statements you and Doctor\nStuart have issued, always come in such a way as to follow a rejection\nby the Communists of the Government's demands and not when the Govern-\nment are rejecting the Communist demands.\n'Though in those statements you did not make any accusation, the\ntiming of that statement leads the public to some misunderstanding and\nthey could not have a true picture of what was going on.\nI then replied \"All I can say is that having heard your statement\nit would seem that my efforts at mediation appear futile and I see no\npractical basis for any other action on my part. I will deliver the\neight points to the Government. I hope that you will make your own\nTOP SECRET"
}