Evening star., 1949-05-01
Shanghai Peril Grows
But Railway Service
Continues 10 Operate
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SHANGHAI. May i.-Shang-
hai's peril mounted today. but
indications that II Was cut OF by
rail from the rest Of China proved
erroneous
Railway ofiiciAls announced
trains still were running from
Shanghai TO the supporting city
OF Hangchow. i3l miles southwest.
They said night trains had
been halted. however. and that
this led 70 reports last night no
trains we're running past Kashing.
62 miles southwest Of Shanghai.
At the same time. the Tele-
communications Administration
announced that telephone service
had ceased to Kunsilan. about IS
miles west OF Shanghai.
Reds Moving East.
Communist troops last were re-
ported moving east slowly on this
westward approach TO Shanghai.
The break in telephone service
could mean that these forces sud
denly had lunged forward and at
tackled Kunshan.
The Shanghai garrison said yes
terday that several thousand Reds
had moved into the area but were
being held in check about six miles
west of Kunshan.
However, Red strategy to date
indicates that the main Red thrust
is toward Shanghai's land lines to
the south.
Communist troops in early
afternoon had been officially re-
ported by the Shanghai garrison
to be II miles northwest Of Kash-
ing and % miles north Of the
important port of Hangchow.
Aim at Isolation.
The well-cloaked Communist
military actions seemed to in
dicate that isolation rather than
occupation was what they in
tended for Shanghai at present.
An oldtime foreign resident
summed up the opinion Of many
in predicting the Reds would
throw a scarlet perimeter" a.
round Shanghai while they "at-
tend to more pressing matters
elsewhere.
The Shanghai garrison's COM
munique said that southwest OF
Shanghai one Red column had
reached Techeng. % miles by road
north Of Hangchow.
1t said other Communists had
penetrated to Nanhsun. 10 miles
northwest of Kashing. but were
being held in check by Nationalists
at Chengtsecheng. II miles north
west Of Kashing.
Hangchow Hears Guniire.
The newspaper Sin Wan Pao
said artillery fire could be heard
in Hangchow and that provincial
government employees had been
ordered to flee yesterday. 1t said
local militia were policing Hang
chow.
These unconfirmed reports
might indicate Nationalist troops
already had withdrawn from
[Hangchow. tHangchow had been
hong touted as anchor base Of q
new government defense lire to
guard South China.)
The Communist radio in Pei
ping said the Communist army
after crossing the Shanghai
Marking railway Is sweeping down
south at the rate Of over 10 miles
|per day" This, appeared to, be
a considerable exaggeration in
view Of the slow movement OF the
past several days. ear
The Red radio said nothing
further about seven Nationalist
armies it claimed the previous day
W lldfC ti6PPCo AL tAtE AAuJoA az
ton southeast Of Nanking.
1t did assert, however, that Ma
tionalist planes bombed and
strafed Communist-o occupied Nam
king Wednesday and Thursday.
killing II persons in an apparent
attack on the electric and water
systems.
The Peiping radio. heard IN
San Francisco by the Associated
Press, also broadcast long Of
fetal statement demanding that
Britain, the United States and
France withdraw quickly their
armed forces, warships. military
aircraft and Marines. In the
Yangtze River" and anywhere else
they might be In China.
The statement, by Gen. Ii Tao.
military spokesman, bitterly as
sailed British Prime Minister
Clement Attlee over the shooting
incident involving the sloop Anne
thyst and other British warships
and reiterated demands that
Britain apologize and pay idem-