Zhou Enlai | Letter signed, on military affairs, to J. Franklin Ray, Jr, 1946

Zhou Enlai

Typed letter signed, to J. Franklin Ray, Jr.

acknowledging the dangers encountered by convoys delivering aid ("...It is comprehensible that the relief work in combat regions is hazardous..."), and suggesting the establishment of liaison offices in both Communist and Nationalist areas, in English (signature in Chinese characters), with pencil annotations by Ray concerning further action, 2 pages, 4to, Communist Delegation Office, Nanking, China, 8 August 1946, pin holes, marks 

A LETTER SIGNED BY ZHOU ENLAI, ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL LEADERS OF THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY. Zhou had played a key role fomenting unrest in Shanghai in the 1920s and was one of Mao's most trusted lieutenants by the time of the Long March. He was involved in intelligence and diplomatic work during the war with Japan. He was Premier of the PRC from its foundation until his death in 1976, and was additionally Foreign Minister from 1949-58.

The letter was written when Zhou was representing the CCP at the Marshall Mission which, under American leadership, attempted to bring about a united government in China following the defeat of the Japanese. The Communists and Nationalists had signed a ceasefire in January 1946 but there was deep distrust between the two sides. By the summer of 1946, when this letter was written, there were frequent clashes between Communists and Nationalists, especially in Manchuria, and negotiations were on the verge of collapse. This letter shows Zhou working to ensure the safety of aid convoys on behalf of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) and also the Nationalist Chinese National Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (CNRRA). His correspondent, the American diplomat J. Franklin Ray, was director of the Far East Offices of the UNRRA.

PROVENANCE:

Stargardt, 12 June 1986, lot 1223