152 CRISIS IN CHINA x
munists. But in point of fact the Communists were
the most resolute "peace party" from the first; and
Chou En-lai the most successful advocate for Chiang
Kai-shek's release. This was a purely tactical move,
as the Communists are the first to admit; but at least
they deserve the credit for knowing their own policy,
and holding to it. There were certain groups and
individuals, especially among the Tungpei left wing,
who were in favour of Chiang's death: but they were
unorganised and powerless, so long as he was held in
Chang Hsueh-liang's headquarters.
How Chiang Kai-shek spent his time in captivity is
not told. After his release he published privately a
diary of his fourteen days of detention, but this was
frankly for official consumption and cannot be con-
sidered exact. By his own account he spent many
hours reading his Bible—a traditional, if unoriginal,
way of passing the time. What is certain is that, be-
tween visits and conversation, he had ample leisure
for reflection. And the developing situation, as we
shall see, gave him food for thought.
This is a documentary chapter, so it may not come
amiss to conclude it with some extracts from a private
telegram sent out by Chang Hsueh-liang on Decem-
ber iQth and addressed to Mr. Fraser, China cor-
respondent of the London Times. The telegram, need-
less to say, was stopped by the censor at Nanking and
did not reach its address for many weeks. It is a
typical reaction to some of the first editorial com-
ments on the Sian incident abroad, and shows again
the fatal handicap of isolation under which the
"rebels" laboured.
"I have read the scathing, but happily incorrect