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{
    "localId": "290015641",
    "label": "Letter from General George C. Marshall to President Harry S. Truman, with Related Notes",
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    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290015641"
}

{
    "id": "290015641",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290015641",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Letter from General George C. Marshall to President Harry S. Truman, with Related Notes",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290015641",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Subject Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Chiang, Kai-shek, 1887-1975"
    ],
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{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/290015641",
    "naId": 290015641,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "logicalDate": "1946-12-01",
            "month": 12,
            "year": 1946
        }
    ],
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{
    "seq": 3,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750331/750331-43-003.tif",
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    "ocrText": "TOP SECRET\nDECLASSIFEED\nE.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or E\nOSD letter, May 3, 1972\nWAR DEPARTMENT\nOFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF\nNARS Date 7/14/15\nWASHINGTON 25, D. .C.\nGOLD 1891\nDecember 28, 1946\nDear Mr. President:\nI have just concluded a two hour conference with the Generalissimo.\nFollowing the adjournment of the National Assembly, he wished to discuss\nwith me the steps that might be taken in an effort to reopen negotiations\nwith the Communists. Dr. Stuart and I had previously suggested that if\na sound Constitution were adopted, which is the case, and the Government\nproceeded with the establishment of the State Council and started with\na genuine reorganization of the Executive Yuan, then two or three\nrepresentatives of the Generalissimo, men of importance and liberals,\nmight well be sent to Yenan to discuss matters with a view to reopening\nnegotiations for the cessation of hostilities and the participation of\nthe Communists in the reorganization of the Government, the matter to\nbe done quietly without public announcement. However, there immediately\nleaked out, intentionally or otherwise, a statement of this purpose of\nthe Government before its good faith had been at least partially estab-\nlished by the adoption of a sound Constitution in keeping with Political\nConsultative Council agreements. The Communists' reaction was, of course,\nunfavorable. Since then I have learned that the Communists would prob-\nably resent reorganization of the State Council and the Executive Yuan\nbefore any consultation with them, for the reason I suppose that they\nwould feel that the door would already have been practically closed on\nany possibility of responsible participation on their part.\nI therefore suggested to the Generalissimo that the visitation be\ncarried out before the reorganizations just referred to. He agreed\nto my point of view and, in connection with my insistence that there\nbe no public statements in advance, he wondered if it would not be\nadvisable to consult the minority parties. I thought so but also\nthought that it would not be advisable for the Government to declare\nits position as this would inevitably result in a public leak and\nwould precipitate a propaganda war on the part of the Communists. I\nstated that I thought that the Government, if it took this action,\nshould make a genuine effort, carefully avoiding any complications by\nmilitary actions or public statements of a provocative nature, such\nas have wrecked our previous efforts time and again. He appeared to\naccept my suggestions and stated that as the minority parties were\nshortly to have a meeting of their executive councils in Shanghai he\nthought it would be best to wait until that had occurred.\nTOP SECRET\n- 1 -"
}