1945

The Marshall Mission
George Marshall

In December of 1945, President Harry Truman sent me to China to negotiate with the Communist Party of China (CCP) and the Nationalists (Kuomintang and GMD) in order to create unified government. The United States wanted me to make China an independent, unified, democratic nation. Upon my arrival on December 20, 1945, the Chinese people agreed to review my actions and allow me to come and help unties their country. “Their leaders [were] making daily progress toward the settlement… of deep- seated and bitter conflicts which have lasted for 20 years… They are succeeding… in ending hostilities… and are now engaged in the business of demobilizing vast military forces and integrating the remainder into a national army. They have agreed to the basic principles for the achievement in China of political and economic advantages which were centuries coming to Western democracies.” The first task I took was to create a truce between the two militaries. The only way to get them to compromise was by offering them help from U.S. officers. The Chinese agreed that their armies could have no more than three divisions. After reading them the great theories of Benjamin Franklin, they signed a formal agreement to reduce and merge their armies. I brought many American people over to China to help them organize their country and armies. I also asked Americans to donate clothing, food and money for the poor citizens of China. However, my negotiation only lasted about two years. The pace was set too fast and the agreements failed on both sides as time passed. The country soon prepared themselves for ensuing conflict. I decided to leave China, showing that there was no hope in creating a peaceful and central government. China then fell into civil war, where the Kuomintang was driven from the continent by the Communist Party, establishing the People’s Republic of China. Some can debate that their coming to power was my fault, while others say that I was the only one who gave Kuomintang a change. Whichever the case, I know that I was only there to establish an organized Chinese country.