Ext 6116/46(S) 'Secret Weekly Political Intelligence Summaries, nos 356-416, August 1946-November 1947' [‎54v] (108/978)

18
but neitiher went into any detail. Nor do
any of the scheme’s supporters appear to
have considered how far Persia will be
able to carry out the works of exploita
tion with her own limited capital and tech
nical resources.
On the 5th October Qawam made a
speech dealing with the criticisms which
had been levelled at the Government on
such matters as martial law, corruption,
the freedom of the press, the high cost of
living and the Azerbaijan question. At
the end of his speech he asked the Majlis
for a vote of confidence for the Govern
ment’s future programme. This was
passed by a majority of ninety-three
against twelve, with fifteen abstensions.
(See also under “Soviet Union.’’) ^
Corrigendum
Summary No. 412—Palestine—page 17,
line 6 : for “ 3.907 ” read “ 4,019.”
THE FAR EAST
China
Notwithstanding the anxiety caused by
Liu Po-ch'eng’s frequent thrusts toward
the Yangtsze and the developments of the
sixth Communist offensive in Manchuria
and north China, competent observers
believe that General Chiang Kai-shek is
quietly and steadily working at a broad
programme of reform. It is felt that it was
with this end in view that General Chiang
exerted so much pressure on Dr. T. V.
Soong to accept the Governorship of
Kwangtung, in spite of the wish expressed
by a large proportion of the State Coun
cillors that Dr. Soong should remain in
Nanking and return to the Central Govern
ment. Incidentally, this appointment is
the first of its kind to be voted on by the
State Council.
Further signs of the Generalissimo’s
determination to carry through his plans
for reform are to be found in the steps he
has taken to counter the activities of the
reactionary Kuomintang leader Chen Li-
fu, who, it will be remembered, recently
endeavoured to increase his own influence
within the Party by uttering a number of
embarrassingly blunt criticisms of the
United States policy toward China in
general and of President Truman’s special
fact-finding Ambassador, General Wede-
meyer, in particular. During Chen Li-fu’s
absence from the capital General Chiang
quietly bestowed the Secretaryship of the
San Min Chu I Youth Corps on Chen
Hsueh-p’ing, a disciple of Dr. Hu Shih,
thus depriving Chen Li-fu of a post which
he had greatly coveted. General Chiang
Kai-shek also put another spoke in Chen
Li-fu’s wheel by refusing to accept the
resignation of Wu Te-chen from the Secre
tary-Generalship of the Kuomintang and
reinforcing the latter’s position by the
appointment of two Assistant Secretaries
of broad views and Western schooling. It
is also thought that General Chiang is
awaiting an opportunity to remove Chen
Li-fu from the post he now holds of Chief
Organiser of the Kuomintang. On the
other hand, the drastic steps which have
been taken by the Government following
the denunciation of the Democratic League
by the Director of the Government
Information Department as actively sup
porting the Communist rebels is inter
preted as a possible indication of the inten
tion to banish the one remaining rival
political party in Nanking, virtually
leaving the Kuomintang once again alone
in all its glory. The Government assert,
however, that they have reason for concern
at the subversive activities of Communist
agents in association with the Democratic
League. Indeed, the Mayor of Shanghai
has advanced this reason in justification
of a comparatively large number of arrests.
In Shanghai several Chinese employees of
both the American-owned Power Company
and the French-owned Tramways Com
panies were among those caught up in the
police net. In protest against this action
their colleagues staged a strike which, how
ever, was short-lived, the local authorities,
contrary to their customary attitude,
taking a strong line. In Peiping a number
of high local officials were suddenly taken
into custody, while the police shut down a
radio station and sealed the doors of the
Chung Wai Publishing Firm, alleging
association with the Democratic League.
In a nation-wide broadcast on the eve
of the “Double Tenth’’ General Chiang
Kai-shek set himself to reassure the
country and the world at large of the
Government’s ability to deal with the Com
munist menace. He declared that in
launching their sixth offensive the Com
munists had dug their own grave and that
in areas south of the Great Wall their
forces had already been isolated. At the