Hu Ying

The rugged, aging General of the Army, on whose shoulders the hopes of East Asia rested, bore the burden confidently. As he stepped from the transport plane at Shanghai, Special Envoy George Catlett Marshall smiled a greeting. Smiling back were high U.S. officers of the China theater, an honor guard of the crack U.S.-trained Chinese Sixth Army; and a flag-draped, throng-lined, warmly cheering city.

Next day at Nanking, as the special envoy deplaned, a solitary figure, beaming broadly and hand outstretched, strode out on the concrete runway. Said Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek: "I am very happy to meet you in Nanking."

On the Stage. The next stop was Chungking. There, as the special envoy arrived, were gathered the delegates of China's new Political Consultative Council.

The council too was a cynosure of the nation's hopes. Set up at last fall's talks between Generalissimo Chiang and Communist Chairman Mao Tse-tung, its membership included eight Kuomintang leaders, seven Communists and 23 minor-party men and independents. It was charged with the task of furthering a settlement of China's civil strife. As they prepared to confer, the main contenders jockeyed to improve their standing, and to impress the American envoy with their conciliatory spirit.

The First Act. Affable General Chou Enlai, No. I Communist delegate, announced that he would press first of all for an immediate truce in North China. This was an obvious effort to freeze the steadily deteriorating Communist military situation. Then General Chou quietly but significantly dropped the Reds' demand that reorganization of the National Government precede acceptance of the Governments authority by the Red armies.

Liberal Shao Li-tse, ex-Ambassador to Moscow, spoke for the Kuomintang. He reiterated the National Government's demand that the Communists withdraw from North China's badly snarled railways (though they could administer local governments ten kilometers from the lines) as a preliminary to a truce.

In an effort to force agreement, liberal businessmen, professionals and students were increasing their pressure on all political factions (see below). Said scholarly Dr. Lo Lung-chi, alumnus of Wisconsin University and leader of the left-of-center Democratic League:

"We don't want to overthrow the Government. We just want it to be liberalized, to become democratic and representative. . . . For us . . . General Marshall's coming and his directive . . . is a case of what the Chinese call hu ying, of 'call and answer.' We have called and America has answered. . . ."

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