Chongqing, Fanzhuang

Wednesday, 20 December

In the morning Ye Jiangying (葉劍英)[1] came to our home to report the latest development of the KMT-CCP, saying the conflict now was one between new and old. It was because what the CCP did was according to the regulation of the KMT and the Nationalist Government. The CCP was, as a matter of fact, executing them. It was ridiculous that the party headquarters deemed those provinces, like Yan Xishan’s Shanxi as well as Guangxi and Zhejiang and others, which were slightly progressive as Communists. As for the Eighth Route Army which was increased from 100,000 soldiers to some 200,000 people he also thought that it was a logical matter. It was because the Central army had gone from 150 to 260 divisions. At the end he also reported the skirmishes between the KMT and the CCP in the Shaanxi-Gansu border over the past few days. The KMT-CCP issue was really worrying, which was a great misfortune for our country.

In the afternoon I went to Wang Chonghui’s place to talk about the approval of the Sino-Soviet Commercial Treaty. I asked him to find out about the reference materials and give them to me. Then together we immediately went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I went there again after buying some books. I invited him to have dinner at the Daisanyuan restaurant. I also invited Sun Fo by phone. He also came immediately. Sun Fo told Wang Chonghui that he has not cabled to recommend Yu Ming to fill the vacancy of Liu Kai. It happened that Chen Mingshu came to the Daisanyuan and we invited him to eat together with us. Chen Mingshu and others wanted to organise the Sino-Burmese Cultural Society.

[1] Ye Jianying (1897-1986) was Cantonese. He was a CCP general.