The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-11

Chiang Kai-shek was conditional on truce in hostilities and the formation of a coalition govern ment. But the conditions were not met; the Generalissimo's famous "cease-fire" order of Jan. 10 was nullified when the Communists whose leader is Gen. Chou En- lai, rushed through gates left conveniently open by the Rus sians, started civil war on huge scale in Manchuria. The fighting spread to all areas north of the Yangtze and inside the Great Wall. It continues despite the truce" reached in early June.
 As result, actual negotiations became 8 tragic farce.
 On one side Of the conference table sat the extremely reaction ary members of the Kuomintang, labelled by Gen. Marshall himself as "the irreconcilables," who actually depend on the continu- ance of civil war to keep them selves in power. They believed that with additional supplies of American materials, they could destroy the Communists mili- tarily; they wanted a coalition government in China about as much as Stalin wants the return of a monarchy in Russia.
 On the other side sat the Con- munists, who efficiently operate their own dictatorship machine that is as well-oiled as that of the Kuomintang. They really fav- ored a coalition government If for no other reason than to give them the opportunity to openly organize and propagandize in every part of China. They agreed, in principle, to the merger of their armies with those of the National ists. But they baked completely at Kuomintang insistence that they give up political control of the areas they occupied, for they remembered the purges of other year too well.
 This is where the U. s. could have, and perhaps still can, take a forceful role as mediator. The Kuomintang was and is complete ly dependent on America for sup plies and monies to wage war and to attempt to sustain her tottering domestic economy. More than 70 percent of her national income is devoted to her armed forces. If the U. s. threatened to with draw aid until genuine coalition government was formed, the Kuo- mintang would be formed to ap- prove such formation.
 Surplus Sales Cause Bitterness
 But the pressure has never been applied. The Kuomintang, seem- ingly convinced that it has ob- tained U. s. support by playing upon U.S.-Russian fear and sus- picions, refused to concede. And the Communists, convinced that U. s. has decided to back the Kuomintang as buffer against Russia, has embarked on a vii cious, all-out anti-American of fensive that started on propa- ganda level and wound up on a full-scale military level that in- cluded the killing, wounding and Kidnapping of American Marines in North China.
 Troubled Americans in China are not cheered by the latest &C., ton of the U. s. government. The steps being taken for the sale to China of surplus government property in the Pacific prohibit the sale of any ammunition, air planes of any type, nor military items" among the surplus.
 Nevertheless, the Communists were not the only ones to remark that jeeps, trucks, heavy equip ment and landing craft are the sinews of war absolutely essen- tial to the Kuomintang in an all- out civil war. The bitter feeling was not helped by the sale of Il B-25's to China's Central Aircraft Corp, even though these planes were cut into scrap when 1t was found their sale violated surplus regulations.
 To most Chinese liberals, these actions mean that the U. S. has definitely cast it's lot with the Kuomintang.