Evening star., 1949-01-25
China Moving Capital to South;
Canton Is Believed Destination;
Communists Offer to Talk Peace
Red Troops Reach
Yongtze, Not Far
From Marking
By the Assoeiossd Press

NANh1NJ, Jan. Zo.-1ue Olll-
nese government headed south
ward today a few minutes after
the Communists offered by ra-
dio to meet Natior 81 peace en-
voys in Peiping. 80,
A Foreign Office - okesman re-
vealed the southwark 1ove without
giving the government destination
which, presumably, will be Canton
Some ministers already have left for
Canton.
The government and Communist
announcements both came as Red
patrols arrived on the north banks
of the Yangtze River not far from
the capital
Deadline Next Month.
Removal of the seat of the gov
ernment was expected to be COM
pleted. by the middle of next month,
an official spokesman said. T.
The peace offer VS. BROADCAST as
the capitals populace' poured ut OF
the Red-periled city.
The formal Foreign Ofice' ate
ment said: 10
With reference to the transfer
Of the seat of the government
southwark, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, in accordance with the
decision Of the government has
this evening, January Is, sent iden-
tical notes to foreign embassies
and legations in Nanking."
The note followed the failure of
the government to get the embassies
to move southwark when they were
notified January 19 that certain
ministries would be moved to Can
ton.
The formal notice of the govern
ment's move was regarded as a
further effort in that direction.
The Red radio broadcast the
Communist offer to meet the peace
envoys of the government. A radio
spokesman for the Communists said
the talks could be held in Peiping
as soon as that ancient North China
city, taken Saturday by the Red,
sis completely liberated"
He said Acting President Ii
Tsung-jen's five-man peace delega-
ton was acceptable to the Com
munists except for. one member,
Peng Shao-hsien. Peng was iden-
titled by the Red broadcast as .
member Of the strong rightist clique
of the Kuomintang tgovernmenD
Party.
Other members of the delegation
are Shao Lite, Chang Chih-chung,
Huang Shao-hsiung and Chung
Tien-sin.
Conditions Listed.
The Red spokesman listed certain
conditions" to which the government
must agree for the peace talks to be
held. Among them were the eight
points laid down by Mao Tze-tung,
the Communist leader, on January
ID. Ii already has said he would
accept them-and they mean vir-
tually total surrender.
The radio spokesman said the
Communist war criminal" list, an
nounced after Chang Kai-shek's S
year end statement, could not be
considered complete. Gen. Chang,
now in at least temporary retire.
ment, heads that list. 1t also in
cludes Ii and many other National
leaders.
The radio response to the govern
ment's offer to send & delegation to
talk peace stirred hopes that nego-
tiations could be started soon
enough to save Marking from bonn
bardment.
Capital Being Evacuated.
The capital was being feverishly
evacuated by many government Of
ficials and citizens.
The exodus was general. Fear
stricken thousands clogged streets
demanding tickets and space to the
south. Trains were jammed. Even
foot movement around the rail sta
tions was next to impossible.
One official source said the gov
ernment would leave very soon. ii
Various officials said their orders
were to get out "by tomorrow at the
very latest"
The main Communist body had
not reached the opposite bank of
the mile-wide river. But Com
munist shells could come screaming
into the capital at any moment.
Government offices, in many
cases, were deserted except for
coolies.
General peace talk here, at least,
was dead publicly. Everybody
seemed bent on saving his skin and
valuables.
The trek south resembled, on a
much larger scale, the Communist
flight 20 the northwest IA years ago
when Chang Kai-shek drove them
out.
To the confusion and traffic snarl
was added heavy troop movements
Chiang's personal troops were
(See CHINA, Page A-3)