Evening Star Newspaper, April 23, 1937, Page 14

THE EVEN The Kidnaping of Gen. Chiang This 1s the eighth installment of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s “Diary of My Captivity in Sian” and Mme. Chiang’s own story of his rescue. BY GEN. CHIANG KAI-SHEK. (Copyright. 1937, by Mme. Kai-shek and the North American Newspaper Alliance. nc. Al rights reserved. ~Reproduction in Whole or in part forbidden.) SHANGHAI, December 15—I am very anxious to have J. L. Huang come to see me so that he may carry a let- ter back to my wife. For all I know, that telegram of the other day may have never been dispatched. But when I told my intention to Chang Hsuech-liang, he, unwilling that Huang should become aware of the strict surveillance I am placed under, like a common prisoner, and should report the fact to the central government when he returns, asked Huang to wait at the airdrome and told me that I could have my letter delivered by messenger to Huang there. He explained that Huang was waiting at the airdrome for fear that bad weather might interfere with fly- ing. I felt so displeased with Chang that I decided not to say anything nor to write that letter. Later, after having been admon- fshed by Donald, Chang sent Huang in to see me, but before we met I was cautioned not to say anything else except that I am well, in order to appease my wife's anxiety. He wanted my remarks to be of the same vein as the telegraphic message they had sent out. Wrote Note to Wife. I made no replies, and when Huang came, I wrote the following note to my wife: As I have made up my mind to sacrifice my life, if necessary, for my country, please do not worry about me. I will never allow my- self to do anything to make my wife ashamed of me, or become unworthy of being a follower of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Since I was born for the revolution, I will glad- ly die for the same cause. I will return my body unspotted to my parents. As to home affairs, I have nothing to say further than that I wish you would, to gladden my spirit, regard my two sons, Ching- kuo and Wei-kuo, as vour own chil- dren. However, you must never come to Shensi After writing t er I read it fit so that, even if it cepted, Huang could verbally carry the message to my wife, I later learned that Chang not only intercepted the letter, but also that Huang was not allowed to return to the capital. This is because Chang| wanted my wife to come to Shensi, hoping that she might persuade me to comply with his demands, but in | my letter I distinctly told her not to come. On the other hand, as Chang dared not let my wife wait too long for news, he requested Donald to go to Loyang to give her information re- garding me over the long-distance telephone. The one and only hope of the Sian leaders was that through my wife's efforts the central forces might | be dissuaded from attacking Sian. | Visit Pre-arranged. | Pao Wen-yueh (former chief of staff to Chang) came in the afternoon | to report that Donald and another person had flown to Loyang. I natur- ally inferred that the other person | was J. L. Huang, but afterward I found out that Pao's visit was pre- arranged by Chang just to lead me into thinking that Huang was return- ing to Nanking. Chang again came to see me in the night, with news telegrams in his hands, from which he reported to me the news of the day. When he came to the item about the Kwantung army pushing forward to Suiyuan his face wore a rather penitent look and he seemed very anxious to bring the Sian affair to a speedy close. I do not un- derstand his state of mind bombing at Weinan and Hwahsien, it had so exasperated the popular feel- ing that my release could not be ef- fected as planned. What could he do? he asked. The news bears out the strong de- termination of the centrai govern- ment to suppress the rebellion, and, like a traveler who has just recetved good tidings from his home, I was very glad. Why did Chang put the period from four to seven days? Could they be waiting for certain developments? From Donald, who had just re- turned from Loyang in the early aft- ernoon, I learned that central gov- ernment troops were on the move be- tween Loyang and Sian. I feel re- lieved, for the safety or danger of one individual's life is not worth consider- ing when the future of the party, the nation and the people is assured. This evening, at Chang's request, Chiang Pai-li (one-time head of Pao- ting Military Academy) called on me. Chiang arrived at Sian just before the trouble started and is being detained at the Sian reception hotel. He said conditions were changing for the bet- ter, but should the central troops as- sume the offensive too hastily, an ugly turn of affairs might result. Even if I were willing to sacrifice myself, I should, according to him, pity the peo- ple of the Northwest, who had already suffered much at the hands of the Com- munists, and I must give in at certain points for the preservation of the nation. He urged me over and over again to write to the central military authorities that I would soon be out of Shensi and that the punitive expedi- tion should be instructed not to attack and bombing must be stopped. Not So Easy to Do. I replied: “This is not so easy to do. If, however, a definite date for escorting me back to Nanking in the very near future could be given, I would of my own free will send written instructions to the central military authorities to suspend bombing for three days, and in the circumstances they might believe the instructions to be genuine. The request for cessation of hostilities must not come from Chang, whose demand for seven days’ grace is clearly nothing but a trick to temporize for time. Not only will the central authorities have no faith in it, but I myself also cannot possibly be fooled by it.” Chiang remarked, on leaving, that further discussion would be necessary and a person must be chosen to be the messenger. Soon after Chiang was gone Chang came in again. He imparted the news that fighting be- tween the central government troops and Yang Hu-cheng's men had ac- tually broken out at Hwahsien, and if the former should push farther on his soldiers would have no alterna- tive but to retreat. His hidden threat of taking me with them to some other locality in the word “retreat” was not lost upon me, but I ignored it entirely. December 17.—Before noon today | Chiang Pai-li came again at Chang's request to ask me to write to the central military authorities according to what I had said yesterday, ordering a postponement of the general assault for three days. Gen. Chiang Ming- san was to carry the letter by airplane to Loyang. I promised to accede to the request and, when Ming-san came I wrote a letter in my own handwriting to Chin- chih (Gen. Ho Yin-ching), asking him to defer the bombing for three days till Saturday, which I handed to Ming-san. In the afternoon Chang came and said: “There are too many compli- cations, but anyway we will have Ming-san deliver the note first and discuss other matters later. Ming- san, by the way, is already on his way to Loyang.” I guess the attack must be rather severe and Chang's remark about dis- cussing other matters later is a pre- conceived excuse for putting off my release. Sincerity and righteousness He also confessed that Yang Hu- | cheng had long wanted to rebel, and that, although he himself had been | repeatedly urged to join in the move- ment, he hesitated to do so until De- | cember 10, when, under the influence of anger against the reprimand he | received from me at Lingtung, he de- | cided to join forces with Yang, but that he had repented since. Should China perish as a direct result of the coup d'etat, he said he would have only one of two roads to choose: To | commit suicide or to go into the hills | &nd became a bandit. I remember December 10. This was the day on which Chang came to tell me how he explained to the body of petitioners (a students’ dem- | onstration) that he could be their | representative as well as mine. Upon hearing this I severely upbraided him | for his acceptance at Sian of the doc- | trine of the “people’s front,” his en- | lstment of reactionary politicians and | his laissez-faire attitude toward the activities of the National Salvation Association (an anti-Japanese orga- nization). The aim of this associa- tion, in exciting students and soldiers to rebellion, cannot but tend to dis- rupt the social structure of the north- west and cause unrest among the people. This state of affairs gave me & great deal of anxiety. Regarded as Patriotic. However, ever since 1928, when Chang, of his own volition, took or- ders from the Central government, and thus helped to bring the nation into unification, I have always re- garded him as a patriotic and prom- ising soldier, and I have always stood up for him when he was slandered, no matter by whom or how. At the time he was given supreme military authority in the northwest, which is strategically an area of great impor- | tance, I earnestly exhorted him to be | steadfast in his purpose and faithful to his duties, so as to prepare the way for wiping out his own disgrace and saving the nation. I fully hoped then that he would render loyal and meri- torious service to our country, but his behavior now is completely contrary to my expectations. What he has done places the vast territory of the Northwest in great danger of suffering the same fate as that of the Northeast. I deplore my misjudgment of character and the consequent misplacement of my confi- dence, because of which I feel apolo- getic not only to the party and the nation, but also to my countrymen of the Northwest. . I felt so grieved and vexed that I had the incident of De- cember 10 recorded in my diary with these remarks: “It is a pity that Han- chen, although smart in trifling mat- ters, is apt to blunder in important affairs, and, with an unsteady mind, is weak in determination.” Chang must have read the whole thing by now. Gains Chiang’s Release. December 16—In the early morn- ing Chang, gray of face and nervous, came to see me He informed me that he had last night succeeded in persuading the committee to agree to sending me back to Nanking within from four to seven days, but as the eentral troops had suddenly started \ | Yang and fall into their trap. have no place in the conduct of rebels, so I can only let them do as they like. Heart Is at Peace. December 18—A week has elapsed since the revolt, but, as I have de- cided to disregard my personal safety, my heart is at peace. I read the writings of the philosopher Mo Ti to while away the time. This evening Chang told me that he was in receipt of a telegraphic communication from Nanking, stat- ing that T. V. (T. V. Soong) and Mo- san (Gen. Ku Chu-tung) both would soon come to Sian. I had already heard of T. V. coming when Donald telephoned to Nanking from Loyang, and I surmised Chang must have sent them an invitation in the first place. Chang also said that in a telegram Mo-san had expressed his willing- | ness to bear the responsibility of ex- plaining their views to me, provided that either Chang or Yang would meet him in person at a designated place. Chang said he had telegraphed back to the effect thal'I was most anxious to have Mo-san come. This, however, sets my mind at ease, for I know from Mo-san's telegram that he would not be deceived by Chang and b he should also come to Sian, then many of the central military leaders of high rank would -be caught in a net in this city of peril. No word has been received of Ting-wen after his arrival at the capital, and Chang ap- pears quite worried. As to myself, T feel assured of the central authori- ties’ determination and pray for the early arrival of the central puni- tive force at Sian. Pain Grows Acute. December 19—For the last few days I have been suffering from pains in | the joints, but today my lower side aches, and the pain is so acute that I can hardly sit up. I have, however, finished reading Mo Ti. ‘Today is Saturday, marking the end of the three-day truce, but Chang and his confederates have shown no intention of escorting me back to Nanking. Being fully aware of the worthlessness of their promises, I have not allowed myself to entertain the least hope in this respect. Chang dropped in during the eve- ning. He told me that the date for T. Vs and Mo-san’s departure from Nanking was not yet definite, but he had heard from Ming-san reporting satisfactory results of his mission to Nanking. I probed the meaning of these words and assured myself that the outcome could not be what Chang imagined it to be. Chang showed his eagerness to close the unhappy incident and requested me to consider the acceptance of some of the demands that could be more easily put into practice. He explained that it would suffice if I would accept only four of the eight demands. Upon being asked which four were struck off the list, he said the last four. I told him that, since I had not yet returned to Nanking, and even if they could convince me, not a single de- mand could be put into operation, and hence no discussion could be entered into, no matter whether the number of demands was eight or four. December 20—In the forenoon, when } I heard the buzzing of airplanes over- head, I naturally thought that, the three days having expired, fighting must have been resumed at the front and the airplane I heard was probably reconnoitering. But soon afterward T. V., accom- panied by Chang and Donaid, entered my room. I realized then tnat the noise I heard came from T. V.’s plane. I shook hands with T. V. with mingled Joy and sorrow. I could hardly say a word. T. V. handed me a note from my wife. She wrote: “Should T. V. fail to return to Nanking within three days, I will come to Shensi to live and die with you.” My eyes got wet. T. V. then hinted to Chang and Donald to go out and he himself stayed with me in the room. This was the first time since my detention that I had been allowed to talk with an- other without the presence of a third person, but I knew there were eaves- droppers outside the door. It was only then that I learned J. L. Huang had not gone back to Nanking. Gave Will to T. V. I had previously made out my will; mow I gave it to T. V. to be shown to my wife. We asked about each other’s personal affairs. I was deeply grieved when T. V. broke the news of Chao Yuan-chung’s death at the Sian re- ception house during the fracas. I told T. V. of the seizure of my diary and important documents by Chang and his change of attitude after their perusal. I stressed the point that, unless punitive operations were speedily carried out, there was no other way of delivering the coun- try from the present crisis. I also showed him my plans of attack so that he might relate them to the cen- tral authorities. After a half hour’s conversation I pressed him to leave, for, if the conversation wete pro- longed, it would raise suspicions. Toward nightfall T. V. came to see me again. I said to him, “Whatever you do, you must first think of the preservation of the nation. Do not take my personal safety into consider atlon. We must put the welfare of. the public first and our private interests last. Even if Sian be surrounded by troops, and I myself be in personal danger, my heart will be serene.” Tonight Chang asked me to avail myself of the presence of T. V. to discuss with him one or two questions with a view to settlement. I gravely declined to do so and gave him to understand that nothing would be dis- cussed prior to my return to Nan- king. Surprised by Departure. December 21—In the morning I slept 80 soundly that I did not wake up until 11 am. T. V. Soong came into the room to see me, but I was 2-Pc. 18th Century Suite More style and quality than you would ex- Pect at this low price. construction an catelle in several patterns. A roomy and com- ortable suite, as pictured with sagless spring 5’ covered in colorful bro- $ not quite awake, and I could not at first make out who he was. After a while I realized that it was T. V. He told me he was preparing to return to Nanking today. I was surprised at his early departure, as he had told me the night before that he meant to stay here three days. Just as I was going to say some- thing, T. V. came close and told me that somebody was eavesdropping out- side the door, and it was not conven- fent to talk. However, the military plans formulated in Nanking, he said, were exactly the same as those I had in mind. So I said, “If the plans are the same as mine, then in five days the army of the government should be able to surround Sian. I might then be safe; and even if not, then I shall not be afraid. Please tell our com- rades in Nanking to go ahead for the sake of the country and not to be de- terred by any consideration of my personal safety.” T. V. nodded twice, told me to say no more and shook hands on parting. I told him in a loud voice not to come again and also to urge my wife not to come to Sian in any circum- stances. At the same time I made signs with my hand to show him that the central government must order the troops to proceed quickly to attack the city. T. V. said he would come back again day after tomorrow, but I ges- ticulated to him not to come. “No harm will come to me if I re- NG STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1937. turn,” said T. V., “because they have no bad feelings against me.” After having left the room he came back again and told me that he would certainly come back again to see me day after tomorrow. I knew T. V. was feeling sad about parting from me, as it might mean farewell for- ever. On my part, having already determined to sacrifice my life, I had mingled feelings at parting from T. V. and asked him to take care of my wife and children. i When Chang came to zee me to- day I asked him where he was keep- ing my letter to my wife, which I had asked him to send through J. L. Huang, and which he had not done as I requested. He said, “If the generalissimo should some day return to the capi- tal in safety the letter would be per- sonally delivered to Mme. Chiang; if, on the other hand, you should die here, the letter would also be per- sonally delivered.” Apparently he was trying to threaten me. In the evening he came again and said he had to leave Sian for a day or two. When asked where he- was going, he said that fighting had starled, many soldiers had been killed, and he was asked by the rebels to go to the front and direct the oper- ations. He would be back in a day or two. From the way he said these things, 1t seemed that he was trying to find out if T was afraid. As I showed no aigns of fear or agitation, he left me without any further word. (To be continued Sunday.) SOUTHWEST DESCRIBED Archeology in the Southwest was the subject of a lecture delivered yes- terday by C. Marshall Finnan, super- —— intendent of the National Capital Parks, at Wilson Teacher's College. Finnan drew on his experience as superintendent of Mesa Verde Na- tional Park in Colorado—a post he held before coming here to take charge of the Washington park system—and his work in Santa Fe, N. Mex., in the course of the address. He utilized col- ored slides to llustrate salient points. He was introduced by Dr. Edgar Hig- ble, president of the college. 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