Due to the long-term blockade of the Kuomintang diehards, it was difficult for Chinese and foreign journalists to enter the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region. With the growth of the CPC's strength, people in China from Britain, the United States, and other countries, especially some journalists, have become more and more interested in understanding the real situation in the anti-Japanese base areas.
On February 16, 1944, the Union of Foreign Journalists in China wrote a letter directly to Chiang Kai-shek, asking the Nationalist government to allow foreign journalists to visit northern Shaanxi and Yan'an. A few days later, Chiang Kai-shek unexpectedly approved the foreign journalist's request. On March 4, the Chongqing Eighth Route Army Office sent a telegram to Yan'an, reporting in detail on the situation.
The Party Central Committee and Mao Zedong attached great importance to the visits of foreign journalists from the very beginning. After receiving the call from the office of the Eighth Route Army, Mao Zedong immediately approved it for circulation to more than a dozen comrades. On April 30, when the itinerary of the press corps was roughly determined, Mao Zedong specially called Dong Biwu and asked him to convey to foreign reporters: "You are very welcome to extend your visit. ”
The Chinese and foreign press corps left Chongqing on May 17 and arrived in Yan'an on June 9. The press corps has a total of 21 members, but there are actually only 6 foreign journalists. Among these 6 people, one was a reporter for the Soviet Tass News Agency, named Protzenko; the rest were almost all reporters for two or three influential newspapers in Britain, the United States, and other countries.
In June 1944, Mao Zedong hosted a banquet for the Northwest Delegation of Chinese and foreign journalists. Xinhua News Agency photo
On the afternoon of the 12th, Mao Zedong met with Chinese and foreign reporters and answered their questions. Mao Zedong talked freely about the international and domestic situation and told reporters that in order to defeat Japanese fascism, China must practice democracy. Afterwards, Mao also took time to have in-depth individual conversations with some foreign journalists. During the conversation, in addition to giving a more detailed introduction to China's war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the CPC's basic policies, Mao Zedong also spoke on some issues in a targeted manner according to the different circumstances of each reporter. For example, he talked to the Soviet journalist Protzenko about the organization and development of the Chinese Communist Party; and explained the diplomatic policy of the Chinese Communist Party to the American journalist Stein, advocating that China and the United States and the Soviet Union maintain friendly relations so that China can become a bridge between the United States and the Soviet Union after the war. Mao Zedong famously said, "Our power is given by the people," which was also said in a conversation with Stein.
Through conversations with CCP leaders, foreign journalists gained a deeper understanding of the CCP's policies. At the same time, the leaders of the CCP also learned some more important information through them. For example, the British and American views on the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and the situation in China, the possibility of the Allied forces making requests to the Eighth Route Army for cooperation in the war, the US government has begun to consider post-war policy toward China, and so on. Some foreign journalists also very kindly put forward some suggestions and methods for improving foreign propaganda to the leaders of the Communist Party.
In 1944, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai, He Long (front row right 2), Wang Zhen (front row left 2), Yang Shangkun (back row right 1) and others met with Chinese and foreign reporters northwestern delegation. Xinhua News Agency photo
Foreign reporters also went to the Jinsui Anti-Japanese Base Area and some other places to investigate and conduct interviews. After several months of visits, the reporters found that the border area was a new world completely different from the Kuomintang-ruled area. According to their own experience, each of them has written many vivid reports describing the life of struggle in the base areas. In particular, Foreman's "Report from Red China" and Stein's "The Challenge of Red China" are two books that had a great impact at the time.
In 1944, Comrade Mao Zedong and Ma Haide were in Yan'an. During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Ma Haide received many foreign journalists, diplomats, and soldiers who visited Yan'an, including the U.S. Military Observation Group sent to Yan'an in 1944 by General Stilwell, commander of the U.S. Military in China. Xinhua News Agency photo
In July and August 1944, the commander of the US military in the Sino-Burma-India Theater sent two groups of 18 members of the US military observation team to Yan'an. Through their visits, relevant personnel of the US Military Observation Group wrote many investigation reports, which objectively reflected the political, economic, and military situations in the anti-Japanese democratic base areas. The US military observation group commented on the Yan'an people: "Yan'an makes the Americans incredible in three points. First, Yan'an people are not interested in money, American planes often travel between India, Chongqing and Yan'an, and no one in Yan'an has entrusted the flight attendants to take anything out of the world. Second, yan'an people do not treat people and things in a vain manner, which is different from the tradition of ordinary Chinese who love to talk about face. Third, the people of Yan'an did not open their mouths to ask for US assistance. ”
Yan'an's foreign affairs work has played a positive role in bridging the ties between the CPC and the outside world and in publicizing the party's ideas more broadly.
In order to better meet the needs of expanding foreign exchanges, on August 18, 1944, the CPC Central Committee issued the "Instructions on Diplomatic Work," pointing out that the party's foreign policy is under the ideological guidance of the international united front, with joint resistance to Japan, the struggle for democracy, and the expansion of the party's influence as the central content; at present, our diplomacy is still "semi-independent diplomacy"; our diplomacy must stand firm on the national stand and oppose the erroneous concepts of xenophobia and fear of foreign affairs that have existed on the national issue for a hundred years.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Communist Party of China adhered to the principle of independence and self-determination, formed a "semi-independent diplomacy," gradually learned to use Marxist positions and viewpoints to understand and handle foreign relations and foreign affairs issues, and initially accumulated experience in diplomatic work.
Chief planner: Zhou Hongjun
Producer: Zhu Yonglei An Chuanxiang
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Copywriter: Wang Ying, Shen Rui (Intern)
Design: Fan Shanshan Cheng Yuanyuan
bibliography:
A Brief History of the Communist Party of China
A Century of Party History in literature
A Survey of the History of the Communist Party of China
Image source: Xinhua News Agency
Produced by Xinhua News Center
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