Tang Jian: I have the same feelings about the Eighth Route Army as Snow – Carlson and the Chinese Communist Party

"During the performance, Zhu De came in and walked straight up to me, and I saw that he was exhausted...... He sat down next to me, held my hand, and wouldn't let go for several minutes. It was a sign of camaraderie and trust, natural and sincere, and I was deeply moved. On December 24, 1937, Evans F. Carlson was writing to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt at a station of the Eighth Route Army in Shanxi, vividly recounting his time with Commander-in-Chief Zhu De. I believe that each and every one of them is selfless in nature, especially on the front of resisting Japanese aggression and safeguarding the national united front, and their group of people has always been very self-controlled. Quick minds, aware of world affairs, I have not found any other group like them in China. ”

(a)

Born in New York State in 1896, Carlson served as an intelligence officer for the U.S. Marine Corps in China from 1927 to 1929, and went to China for the second time in 1933 as an adjutant in the U.S. Legation Guard in Beiping. Upon his return to the United States, Carlson was tasked with keeping President Roosevelt safe, and formed a deep personal friendship with the president's family.

In 1937, Carlson, who aspired to become an expert on China, decided to apply to study the language in China. Before leaving, President Roosevelt instructed Carlson to write a letter to tell him the truth about the situation in China when he arrived at his destination. On August 13 of that year, the Battle of Songhu began, and Carlson arrived in Shanghai on the 18th to observe and record China's resistance to aggression, and sent these texts back to the United States for Roosevelt to read at intervals.

To see if the Eighth Route Army was indeed as "demoralized and disciplined" as Edgar Snow described it to him, Carlson traveled to Shanxi after the fall of Shanghai. From mid-December 1937 to late February 1938, Carlson was with the Eighth Route Army and met with CCP leaders such as Zhu De, Ren Bishi, Peng Dehuai, Nie Rongzhen, and Zuo Quan.

Before going to Shanxi, Carlson's criticism of the Kuomintang army focused mainly on weaponry and tactics, such as pointing out that the army did not have a combat intelligence system, that artillery, tanks, and aircraft were very weak, and that staff work was poor. After coming into contact with the Eighth Route Army, Carlson noticed a deeper problem with the Kuomintang government. At a dinner party after returning to Wuhan, where many Kuomintang officials were present, Carlson wrote to Roosevelt complaining that when he raised his glass and suggested "a toast to the common people, to the common people who are the backers of the war," the officials were silent. In another letter to Roosevelt, Carlson compared Hankow with the anti-Japanese base areas: "In the Japanese-occupied areas of the north and behind enemy lines, there was optimism and excitement. From sunrise to sunset, from the highest officials to the mud-legged fellows, they all worked hard to save the country and drive the Japanese military power out of China. The Chinese in Hankow, on the other hand, live in an atmosphere of defeatism and do not do anything for the good of the country at all. ”

What did Carlson see in the anti-Japanese base areas led by the Chinese Communist Party that made his thinking change so much in such a short period of time?

(b)

After arriving in Shanxi, Carlson was shocked by the spiritual temperament and lifestyle of the soldiers of the Eighth Route Army, "One of the basic principles of their beliefs and training is that they must be honest and sincere, and only then is it right." The unity of freedom and discipline of the Eighth Route Army made the American soldier feel relaxed and at ease, and he almost immediately came to the conclusion that, unlike any other factional army, the goals and spiritual qualities of the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army were more in line with the requirements of modern society for the state and personality.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Carlson followed the style of the Eighth Route Army and established the 2nd Commando Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps. Carlson told his soldiers a story from his own experience: Once, after marching with the Eighth Route Army for 24 hours, he felt pain even breathing, so he asked the soldier next to him if he was tired, and the soldier told him that he was not tired. This example led Carlson to believe that a brain armed with faith is the source of strength, and that a soldier should first think about who he is fighting for and why he is fighting before he goes into battle. Carlson believed that the key to the Eighth Route Army's success was ideological education or political training: leaders explained to the soldiers the norms of behavior and the reasons for doing so; Before every battle, let the soldiers understand the importance of the battle and their responsibilities; Let the soldiers understand that this is our country and must be defended by us, and that the outcome of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression will not only determine their own future, but also determine the future of future generations, so everyone in the Communist Party army is concerned about the war situation and the future of the country.

Carlson was convinced that the Chinese would win the final victory in the war. The communist strategy against the Japanese army was effective, although the opponent's weapons and equipment were more advanced, but the guerrilla tactics of the Eighth Route Army were flexible and mobile, and the Japanese army could not parry. China is vast, Japan can only occupy some strategic points and key cities, and the vast rural areas are still in the hands of the Chinese, which provides enough space for the Communist Party of China to continue to grow and grow. Carlson pointed out that the Communist Party attached great importance to mass work and worked hard to organize the common people everywhere it went, and the common people in the base areas also sincerely believed in and relied on the Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army to provide them with cover and Japanese intelligence.

(c)

Carlson believes that U.S. assistance to China's war of resistance is not only a moral issue, but also has a bearing on U.S. national security and peace and stability in the Pacific region. In order to forge a stronger and more progressive relationship between the two countries, Carlson believes that the United States should have a more accurate assessment of China's domestic politics while providing assistance, and in particular, its China policy should conform to "the will of the people." In a report to the U.S. Department of the Navy, Carlson praised the Chinese Communist Party's charisma for bringing more and more young people together under the banner of communism, compared to the factionalism of the Kuomintang, where most influential people were interested in self-interest and unbridled exploitation of national interests. Communists are honest and upright, love the motherland, and are the fresh blood of this country, which will make China stronger and more powerful.

Therefore, Carlson suggested that the U.S. government should put pressure on Kuomintang officials to refrain from undermining the anti-Japanese national united front, and even to make this a condition for continued assistance. In October 1944, Carlson, recovering from wounds in California, learned that the United States would send a military observer mission to Yan'an, and wrote happily to Roosevelt: "I believe that the members of the American military mission will be as convinced as I am of the leadership of the Communist forces in China that they are more trustworthy than most of the leaders of the Kuomintang forces." After Truman took office, Carlson was very angry at the US government's support for Chiang Kai-shek's civil war, and "our children and grandchildren will regard the betrayal of the Chinese people by the US government during the Truman administration as a great mistake that the United States has never made in the past in diplomacy."

In May 1947, Carlson, who had bravely fought in the Pacific War and was seriously wounded, died young and died at Arlington National Cemetery in the United States at the age of 51. Two years after his death, Mao Zedong, with whom he had a long conversation in Yan'an, whom he called "a modest, kind, and lonely genius who struggled tirelessly in the dark night," ascended the Tiananmen Tower and solemnly proclaimed the founding of New China to the world.

Source: Study Times, November 1, 2021, page 3