Marshall Mission facts for kids
The Marshall Mission was a special trip made by an American general named George C. Marshall to China. This happened from late 1945 to early 1947. His main goal was to help two big groups in China, the Communists and the Nationalists (Kuomintang), stop fighting. He wanted them to work together and form one strong Chinese government. Sadly, the mission did not succeed.
Why Marshall Went to China
Before World War II, the Chinese Communists (CCP) and the Nationalists (KMT) were fighting each other. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, they had an uneasy truce to fight against Japan. But even then, they often accused each other of saving their strength for future fights against each other.
During this time, some Americans visited the Chinese Communist Party. For example, journalist Edgar Snow met with Communist leaders in 1936. He wrote that they seemed more like reformers who wanted to help farmers, rather than extreme revolutionaries. Later, in 1944, US Colonel John Service also visited the Communists. He said they were democratic and less corrupt than the Nationalists.
Other American officials also had different views. US Ambassador Clarence Gauss thought the Chinese government was failing. General Patrick Hurley even believed the Chinese Communists were not "real" communists.
The United States tried to help these two Chinese groups stop fighting during World War II, but it didn't work. One attempt was the Hurley Mission in 1944. General Hurley thought the differences between the Communists and Nationalists were like the differences between political parties in the US.
Because the fighting continued, US President Harry S. Truman sent General George Marshall to China in late 1945. His mission was to help them form a single, united government.
Marshall's Mission in China
General Marshall arrived in China on December 20, 1945. His main goal was to unite the Nationalists and Communists. He hoped that a strong, non-Communist China would help stop the influence of the Soviet Union.
Marshall immediately brought both sides together for talks. These talks lasted for over a year. However, no major agreements were reached. Both sides used the time to get ready for more fighting. To try and encourage a ceasefire, the US stopped selling weapons to the Nationalists from July 1946 to May 1947.
Finally, in January 1947, Marshall was very frustrated that the talks had failed. He left China. Soon after, he became the United States Secretary of State, which is like the country's top diplomat.
The failure of the Marshall Mission meant that the Chinese Civil War started again.
Criticism of the Mission
Years later, some American leaders criticized the Marshall Mission. On June 9, 1951, General Douglas MacArthur said the mission was "one of the greatest blunders" in American history. He believed it caused problems for the free world.
On June 14, 1951, Senator Joseph McCarthy also attacked Marshall. This was during the Korean War, when American and Chinese forces were fighting. McCarthy claimed Marshall was directly responsible for the "loss of China." He meant that China, which was once an ally, became an enemy.
McCarthy suggested that Marshall's actions were part of a "conspiracy." He claimed Marshall had secret orders. He said Marshall stopped weapons from going to the Nationalists. He also said Marshall forced open a mountain pass, which helped the Communists get Japanese military equipment. McCarthy also stated that Marshall tried to force the Nationalist leader, Chiang Kai-shek, to share power with the Communists.
Because of these strong accusations, people's opinions about Marshall became very divided. In 1952, Dwight Eisenhower, who was running for President of the United States, criticized the government's actions in Korea. He campaigned with McCarthy and did not defend Marshall's policies.
