PEACE OVERTURES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22341, 28 May 1947, Page 5

PEACE OVERTURES

NANKING_ REGIME APPEAL TO COMMUNISTS WAR TRENDS WORRIES (11 a.m.) NANKING. May 27. The Chinese Government today broadcast an appeal to the Communist leaders to send representatives to Nanking to discuss peace terms with Gov-ernment-sponsored People's Political Council. The message said the appeal was being made because peace was desired by all the Chinese people and delegates to the People’s Political Council had decided to do their utmost to solve tho present national crisis. The Chinese Nationalist military leaders are plainly concerned over recent developments in the campaign against the Communists. Neutral observers feel that the Government has cause for anxiety over the lack of decisive military success thus far and point out that the Nationalist leaders early this year predicted the main Communist forces would be defeated in three months. This period has almost expired and the Communists are obviously far from defeated. Bulk of Communists Still Fighting The Government forces have cleaned up much of North Kiangsu, half of Shantung and captured Yenan. These gains are important, but the bulk of the Communist forces are still fighting and the Communists have been compensated for their losses by expanding their domination of Shansi, cleaning out large sections of North Honan and threatening the whole Government position in Manchuria. The Government has lost heavily in men and materials and is suffering steady depletion of its stocks of arms, ammunition and vehicles. The Communists are now fighting a more orthodox type of warfare in Manchuria and reports r.re circulating that troops have been training in 12 Russian training camps in North Manchuria during the winter. The Government is also worried by the increasing tendency of the Nationalist troops to surrender along with ammunition and equipment.