Evening star., 1948-11-30
Chang 'sSuchow
Army Reported
Moving on Reds
Garrison Said to Be
Abandoning City to
Aid Trapped lao, 900
BY the Associoted Press

CI1U1 ouC1lCW Sd11Ao AoOll 4Aoo NC
gun quitting the city to 60 tc
the relief of 100000 comrades
trapped by the Communists to
the south, usually reliable
sources said today.
The decision to abandon the bas-
ton of East Central China, 211
miles northwest of Nanking, was
taken in a desperate attempt to
salvage forces for the defense of
the capital.
Suchow. had stood firm under
nearly a month of Communist as
sault But it was outflanked by a
sweeping Red drive to the south
which cut across Suchow's lines of
communications.
18th Army Group EncircIed.
The strong government forces
stationed there we're reported NOV
ing south to engage Communist
troops which have encircled the
Nationalist 18th Army Group lof
Gen. Huang Wei in the Su Lsien
area, 145 miles northwest of Nam
king.
The government four days ago
ordered the garrison to quit Suchow,
but the troops stuck to the forti-
fed city.
Aircraft on Suchow's large air.
field were ordered to leave during
the night, these informants said.
There was no government con-
firmation of this report. However
there was no secret about the pre-
vious order to the 250.000-man Su-
chow garrison to get out and fight.
tOnly bright news for Gener-
alissimo Chan Kai-shek's gov
eminent came from the northern
front. An official dispatch said
Gen. Chiang's armies recaptured
Paotow. Inner Mongolian rail
terminus 800 miles west of Pei
ping. Government headquarters
also said planes inflicted heavy
casualties on Communist conveys
moving southwark through Je-
hol Province)
Papers Lack War News.
Meanwhile, two ominous signs ap-
peared in Nanking. Cd There was
a total absence of war news in the
afternoon papers. (2) The govern
ment's military spokesman remained
away from his Office. In the past
both of these have indicated re-
verses of considerable Importance to
Gen. Chiang's armies.
Nervousness was reflected in both
diplomatic and government circles
in this capital. Various diplomatic
missions joined the American En-
bassy in evacuating Embassy and
Consular staff dependents to safer
areas. The United States Embassy
announced Navy planes Thursday
would start flying 100 American de-
pendents from Marking and Shang-
hal to Manila. Americans in Cen
trail China have laready been warned
to move to areas of greater safety
Several other foreign embassies
and legations have already evacu-
ated their women and children.
Others were preparing to do so as
quickly as facilities became avail
able.
officials Reported Fleeing.
The flight of National Govern
ment officials from China reached
such proportions that the control
yuan was reported to have adopted
a resolution that passports be given
only to those under special orders" "
The Nanking Evening News said the
control yuan would investigate the
large number of legislative and con-
troll yuan members who have asked
for passports.
The same tendency to flee was
reported from Suchow, key to gov
ernment defense in Central China.
Reliable reports said many able
bodied men were trying to crowd
into planes flying out the wounded.
Beyond the encircled 18th Army
there is little to halt the Red drive
short of the Yangtze River bank op-
posite Nanking.
Reported Communist capture of a
town only 65 miles east of Marking
pointed up the fragile defenses be-
low the Suchow battlefront. The
Central Daily News, a Kuomintang
government party} newspaper.
however, said the Reds were driven
out of the town, Kouanchen, Mon
day after holding it "a hours.
Kouanchen is on the north bank
of the Yangtze.
A detachment of 1900 United
States Marines arrived at Tsingtao
from Guam aboard the Navy trans
port Bayfield,. 1t brought the
Leatherneck strength there to 4,S00
Tsingtao, headquarters of United
States naval forces in the Western
Pacific, is on the Shantung PENN
sula, where Chinese Communists
already hold many nearby points
They have made no effort to take
the city,
The United States previously an
nounced it was bolstering the Ma
rine force at Tsingtao to assist in
the American civilian evacuation
and protect American property dur
ing this critical period in China.