After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan and the implementation of the united front by the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, in order to better carry out the national war of resistance, the Kuomintang invited Communists to serve in the National Government and the military departments. However, in September 1938, the Chinese Communist Party made a stipulation that CCP members generally did not participate in the work of the Nationalist government.
However, a new situation emerged, taking into account Zhou Enlai's prestige and influence in the Kuomintang, considering that he had dealt with and established good relations with some military and political leaders of the Kuomintang during his time at the Whampoa Military Academy, and considering the sincerity of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, Chiang Kai-shek invited Zhou Enlai, vice chairman of the CPC, to take up a post in the Kuomintang. To this end, he also specially asked Chen Cheng to personally visit Zhou Enlai and asked Zhou Enlai to make Chen Cheng's deputy and deputy director of the Political Department of the Military Commission.
At the same time, Kong Xiangxi, president of the Executive Yuan of the National Government, also expressed the hope that Zhou Enlai would serve in the Executive Yuan, and Kong Xiangxi also specially sent Zhang Qun, vice president of the Executive Yuan, to come forward to invite him.
At first, Zhou Enlai declined the invitations of both sides. He also said: He has received kindness to Chiang Kai-shek, but the specific post is still exempted. Regarding the war of resistance, we should do the same, and we should do the same without our duties.
However, in the face of Zhou Enlai's prevarication, Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly insisted and urged Zhou Enlai to take up a post in the Kuomintang.
At that time, in order to coordinate and consult with the Kuomintang on matters related to the joint War of Resistance, our Party set up a CPC delegation in Wuhan. In response to the Kuomintang's repeated urgings, the CPC delegation headed by Zhou Enlai held a special meeting to conduct an in-depth study of whether Zhou Enlai had taken up a post in the Kuomintang, holding that it was possible to allow Chiang Kai-shek to take up a post in the Kuomintang.
As for whether to agree to Chen Cheng's invitation or to Kong Xiangxi's invitation, the delegation held that the Executive Yuan belongs to the administrative category after all, especially Kong Xiangxi belongs to the Japanese lords and factions, so it refuses Kong Xiangxi's invitation. After all, Chen Cheng's Political Department of the Military Commission has a direct relationship with persisting in the War of Resistance and saving the country's crisis; if he takes up a post in the Political Department, he can directly promote the Kuomintang War of Resistance from within; moreover, during the period of the Whampoa Military Academy, Zhou Enlai served as director of the Political Department, so in any way, Zhou Enlai's appointment as vice minister of the Political Department is completely acceptable, and the advantages completely outweigh the disadvantages.
Immediately after the opinions were unified, the CPC delegation sent a telegram to the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, reporting on these situations and stating its own opinions, hoping that the CPC Central Committee would reconsider this issue. The telegram pointed out: "If we repeatedly push and fail, Jiang and Chen will say that our party has no intention of helping each other, so that the opinions of those who oppose the cooperation will be strengthened." Participating in it can expand the influence of our party and promote the transformation of the army's political work. The telegram also stressed: "There must be conditional participation." ”
The Central Committee and Chairman Mao Zedong called back to agree. On March 6, Zhou Enlai was officially appointed deputy director of the Political Department of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government. This was also the highest position held by our Party members in the Kuomintang during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
During his tenure as vice minister of the Political Department, Zhou Enlai played an extremely important role in strengthening the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communists in resisting Japan, in the friction that arose from time to time between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, in the major events that occurred during the War of Resistance, and in particular in dealing with several anti-communist upsurges and frictions of the Kuomintang. Zhou Enlai's experience as vice minister of the Political Department during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was also an important period in his entire experience of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
Main references: "Biography of Zhou Enlai", "Chronology of Zhou Enlai"