Thursday, 5 October
Fine
Attaché Li Shaorui was back from Alma-Ata. He talked to the diplomatic messenger sent by the Xinjiang Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also according to the report of Consul Yin via mail, I learnt the situation in Xinjiang province as follows:
1) At the end of July the Central Government sent Shao Lizi to fly to Dihua to negotiate for the transfer of Sheng Shicai but there was no result. Sheng Shicai was extremely unhappy with the Central Government. At that time, he demanded a certain division from the Central army which was originally stationed outside Dihua to station itself inside Dihua. After Commander Li of that division negotiated with Sheng, one battalion moved into the city.
2) With regard to the so-called 812 incident, on 12 August Sheng Shicai arrested people on a massive scale. The personnel and merchants arrested were as follows:
- a) the Secretary General of the party headquarters and concurrently the Director of Education Huang Rujin (黃如今),
- b) Director of the Construction Lin Jiyong (林繼庸),
- c) Director of Transportation of the Governor’s office Zhou Ming (周明),
- d) Professor of the Xinjiang Institute Chen Yongling (陳永齡)
e), The Assistant Director of the Governor’s office Song Shouzhong (宋守中), Chief of the Soviet Union section Ding Weici (丁慰慈), Director of Transportation Gu Gengye (顧耕野), the Assistant Director of the Police Office Cao Tianjue (曹天爵) and more than 100 people.
With regard to the arrest of Ding Weici, it was said that at around 1.00 a.m. of 12 August, the police office dispatched policemen and soldiers to the Diplomatic Office, saying that Governor Sheng wanted Ding Weici to attend a meeting. Secretary Wang feared that the Police Office would arrest people as they pleased, so he immediately phoned Sheng. Sheng replied yes, he had something to talk to him about. Wang asked Sheng to consider not going. Sheng replied that he would take the responsibility and rang off immediately. It is uncertain whether Ding is still alive or not. His family sent him clothes but they were rejected. They are afraid he has been killed. Perhaps he was tortured to death. According to Governor Sheng’s announcement the next day, he said that all the people arrested were hatching a plot to riot, so he kept them under custody first and then asked the Generalissimo for instructions.
3) With regard to the incident personnel in Dihua generally thought that this was Sheng’s demonstration towards the Central Government, but the Central Government was determined regarding these matters in Xinjiang. So the Generalissimo dispatched Zhu Shaoliang and Xu Yanzeng (徐恩曾)[1] to Dihua. After they met, Sheng said that the 812 Incident was to repress riotous conspiracies and his assassination. Zhu declared that this time when he came to Dihua he was instructed to negotiate the internal transfer of Sheng and he did not investigate any other matters. After finishing the official matter he immediately took the flight back to Chongqing. The Central Government then immediately announced Sheng as the Minister of Forestry.
4) On 1 September Zhu Shaoliang and Xu Yanzeng came to Dihua again, and tried the people under arrest with Sheng. It was rumoured that they were tortured to admit their crimes and dared not retract their verifications for fear that they would be killed. During the trial only the provincial party committee member Zhang Zhizhi (張志智) retracted his verification. At the time Zhu Shaoliang talked to Sheng about Zhang Zhizhi having been tortured too much and that they must not be tortured again.
5) When Sheng left Xinjiang, he left in great secrecy and only brought four people with him and was accompanied by Deputy Minister Xu Yanzeng. It was heard that before leaving Xinjiang Sheng killed too many people, and the personnel in Dihua feared that they might not live to see the day. Sheng himself said he would come back to Xinjiang in three months and secretly handed a black list (to the Police Office), which had more than 300 people (mainly locals), and he instructed the Police Office to carry out the arrests. So after Sheng left, the arrests were still under way, but among the personnel from the Central Covernment, after Sheng left, only one was arrested. Later Zhu Shaoliang declared in Memorial Week hereafter if there was no personal authorisation from him he could not arrest anyone. But how to deal with the aftermath is still a great problem. It is said that those arrested will be transferred to Chongqing for legal procedure.
6) Before and after the Incident Sheng led a hard life. He sternly forbade his family to go out. His wife would prepare one dish for him and he had to test the water before drinking. His family members have already left Dihua and brought more than 40 to 50 lorries of luggage.
7) After the announcement of Sheng’s job transfer, Special Envoy Wu received the Consul General of the Soviet Union and informed him that this move by the Central Government was trying to indicate that it wanted to adjust Sino-Soviet relations. The Soviet Union Consul General expressed satisfaction.
8) The Central Government originally stationed the army at Hami, which was the 39th Army of Hu Zongnan. The Commander was Li Tiejun (李鐵軍). There was only one division stationed at Dihua for security. After Sheng left the Central Government continually transfered militarists from the West. They are now at the border of Ili. The border’s defence has been taken over by the Central Government’s army. Sheng’s army is unable to fight. For example the Mongolian-Xinjiang border Incident, Sheng’s army did not fight and retreated. It was the Central Army who defeated the Mongolian rebels. But the organisation of the espionage system under Sheng was strong and included many people. Therefore, it has been very difficult for Executive Zhu to handle this and he could not do things in a hasty manner for fear that it would arouse problems. In lieu of all the above Shaozhou shouldn’t go to Xinjiang at all.
I received a letter from Baoqiao, saying that it was rumoured that in June the Central Government wanted to transfer back to China. But what the purpose behind it was he was uncertain. I also knew that Yanfang brought Zhongxiong to Chongqing and they have arrived. Originally they stayed at his place, recently she rented a place with a certain woman who was the wife of someone. I am afraid that she will never know her faults. I will certainly take the necessary responsibility for her and Zhongxiong, and in this way I find I have already done the right thing by her. Bingkun and Junpei as well as others have come from Liuzhou to Daoyun.
I studied Russian from 11.00 to 1.30 in the afternoon. I did not do well today. It seemed as if I was ill.
In the evening the naval representative, Admiral Archer, invited several of us to dinner at his residence. After dinner we played a game called “small horse racing”. Archer said that this game was invented by a British captive in Turkey. It was quite good.
[1] Xu Yanzeng (1896-1985) was a senior intelligence officer of the Nationalist Government.