Evening star., 1947-01-19
Chinese Communists
Reject Government
Bid for Peace Talk
BY the Assoeioted Press

NANKING, Jan. 18.--The Com
munists today rejected the Chinese
governments overtures for new
peace negotiations.
Sun Fo, chairman of the govern
ment's Legislative Yuan and leader
of the peace effort, said the govern
ment would try to keep the door
open, "but If the Communists desire
a protracted civil war, the govern
ment will have no alternative but
to carry on the fighting"
Other official but unidentifiable
sources, however, were inclined to
believe that no drastic political or
military developments were in i'm
mediate prospect. They held that
the impasse probably would con-
tinue indefinitely, awaiting fuller
clarification of American policy to-
ward China.
Three Possible u. s. Courses.
Sources close to both factions said
there was no. hope of resuming ne
gotiations "at least for few
months" and speculated that the
United States might do one of three
things: Allow the situation to drift
along for while, pull out of China
completely, or continue aid to the
government on condition that there
be no civil war and that the gov
ernment be reorganiZed drastically
along the lines suggested by Gen.
Marshall in his farewell statement
last week.
Gen. Marshall strongly favored
liberal elements, now largely
grouped in powerless minority par
ties.
Invited to participate in a new
coalition regime, the minorities had
insisted first on the governments
making another offer to resume ne
gotiations with the Communists, al
though Communist refusal was ex-
pected. This was the offer which
the Communists rejected today.
Sun Fo, generally regarded as a
liberal force in the government,
called a meeting of minority rep
resentatives and various government
leaders in his residence to discuss
what to do next.
Some Compromise Possible.
The Communists, in rejecting the
bid submitted through American
Ambassador j. Leighton Stuart, said
they would negotiate only if the
recently-adopted constitution were
abandoned and troops returned to-
positions of year ago, when the
Communists held much more terri
tory than they do now.
The government was believed to
be prepared to make some compro-
mise but not on either of these
points.
In informing Ambassador Stuart
that the Communist Central COM
mittee had refused the government
bid, Wang Ping-nan, Communist
spokesman, said the government
offer to send Gen. Chang Chih-
chung as its emissary to Yenan was
pure deception"
While the breakup of the in
effective tri-partite Executive Truce
headquarters in Peiping was gen.
orally predicted as a result of the
deadlock, American representatives
of that body continued to play out
the string.
Dispatches from Peiping said 1t.
Gen. Alvan C. Gillen, jr., had made
American radio facilities available
to the Communist members to COM
municate with their representatives
at the advanced headquarters in
Changchun, Manchuria.
The government two days ago de-
MED the Communists use of the
truce team radio in Changchun,
charging them with. communicating
regularly with Communist armies
marching towards that city.
Gen. Gillem informed the gov
ernment commissioner that this
shutdown violated the regulations
on which the truce headquarters
was established and notified the
Communist commissioner he could
use the American radio for nom
coded messages.
Gen. Yeh Chien-ying, Communist
commissioner, angrily called the
government accusation absurd
Competent outside sources agreed
that Changchun was not in much
immediate danger from the Com
munist armies. Pro-government dis
patches said inconclusive fighting
still was in progress SIS miles north
of Changchun.