Canadian reaction to Communist revolution in China

Nanking, December 29, 1949

From: The chargé d’affaires, Canadian embassy, Nanking, China

To: The Secretary of State for External Affairs, Ottawa

No. 196

[…]

2. From inside China it is difficult to understand why any western power friendly to the Chinese people, hesitates to face the facts of what has happened in this country. Since Communist occupation there are numerous indications that China now has honest administration. The greatest single evil in China — corruption in public affairs — is being eliminated. Active supporters of the new regime are legion and the number is increasing with gradual improvement of conditions in general.

[…]

Black markets are practically abolished. A much greater proportion of national income is now used in reconstruction and rehabilitation and greater attention is devoted to education and medicine. Practically no beggars haunt the streets. The new regime has military power to maintain order even in districts where conditions are bad and where there is peasant unrest due to heavy taxation in kind. Peking now controls more area than any regime since the Manchu dynasty.

3. Some foreigners, especially Americans, do not agree with some of these observations but much American analysis of the situation in China has been consistently incorrect for several years. Most Americans find it difficult to view any Chinese problem except in the light of Soviet-American relations. At present American view is distorted by magnification of importance of incidents which have been remarkably few when it is remembered what China is in the midst of a major revolution.

4. The many Chinese friends of the western nations, and they still far outnumber the friends of Russia, are using their influence with the new regime to promote friendly relations. Their mouths will be completely stopped if the Western Powers fail to recognize the new regime after time for due consideration.

[…]

Chargé d’affaires