A Noble Cause for the World, the Missing Reconstruction of Nationalist China

Words from Meiling Soong's February 18, 1943 Speech to Congress:

A Better World

Based On the Universal

Principle of the Four

Freedoms Must Come

Into Being

Meiling Soong's image in a stained glass window of a large Methodist Church in Washington D.C. A Noble Cause for the World, the Missing Reconstruction of Nationalist China Historical Correctness for the World Conscience On February 18, 1943, Madame Meiling Soong Chiang made a 20 minutes speech to the U.S. Congress. A Methodist church in D.C. inscribed her image in a stained glass window with these words: A Better World Based On the Universal Principle of the Four Freedoms Must Come Into Being She emphasized that Chinese people have a right to survive struggles for the Four Freedoms promulgated by President Franklin Roosevelt. Half of Europe (minus Eastern Europe) ought to thank General Marshall’s Marshall Plan, but he made a blunder in China. “In late 1945 and in 1946, he represented President Truman on a special mission to China, then torn by civil war; in January, 1947, he accepted the Cabinet position of secretary of state, holding it for two years. In the spring of 1947 he outlined in a speech at Harvard University the plan of economic aid which history has named the «Marshall Plan».”http://nobelprize.org/peace/laureates/1953/marshall-bio.html On November 22, 1945 As President Truman’s special envoy to China, Marshall arrived in Chungking. He acted as if he was a colonial governor, and chastised Chiang’s government in many areas with scathing remarks. There were no good English spokesmen for the Nationalists to allow them to respond to the accusations, which was an Achilles’ heel for them. “A prejudiced envoy can’t achieve a fair mission, which is within prediction.” This is how Dr. Zhu Jiahua believed. Marshall’s prejudice led to American mishandling of China. After China made great sacrifices, then the U.S. started to criticize China. Europe had to rely on their sacrifices in re-appropriating the Air Force and tanks allotted to the Burma war zone, so that these supplies could go to North Africa to help the British and the U.S. General Rommel commented that the Air Force and tanks were superior to the Germans’ and consequently the victory belonged to the U.S. But this is at the expense of the great sacrifice of the Chinese Far Expeditionary Force. China Nationalist troops helped in the key battles, and to secure the supply line to the Mediterranean and the European Continent, and the eventual success against Hitler. But after China put up such hardship and sustained in poverty because there was not enough of a harvest to feed the people, American policy was lopsided toward Europe at Asia’s expense, and weighted toward Western Europe than Eastern Europe. After their great sacrifice, not only did China not get the reconstruction aid from General Marshall, but he came to China in condescending role, why didn’t he make these harsh words when China was making its great sacrifice and taking heavy losses? The betrayal was in already in the process, after the victory, Marshall only posed as a colonialist to insult China but was not constructive to make China one unified nation. Other than Chiang and his few close cliques, many Nationalist leaders were open-minded and some were pro-left. Free Mind’s grandfather loved all people, and wanted everyone to be together successfully. In the end, China was given to the most radical reactionary communists, and sank the entire China into craze of massive persecution, and starvation. The Communist government in China has denied the Chinese people the Four Freedoms – Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Poverty, and Freedom from Fear. Only a very selected few have been allowed access to great wealth, much more so than Meiling Soong’s family. Marshall also was prejudiced in his treatment toward the Eastern Europeans. His proclivity and racism determined U.S. policy and broke so many people’s dreams to have a decent life on earth. To my suffering family and many people rich or poor, a fundamental human dignity was denied. Many were compromised in order to exist. The contribution of the Chinese Nationalists to the world peace is immeasurable. We urge the responsible world leaders not to have a Chinese split or a conspiracy to derail any progress in China becoming one unified nation. The American gratitude to China should be expressed and not suppressed to live up to the true meaning of the Four Freedoms. When Bush went to Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, thanking the Russians for their role in defeating Nazi Germany, he also should have planned a similar celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific, and thanked the Chinese Nationalists for their role in defeating Japan. If Bush wants to avoid alienating Russia and Japan, he should not do this at China’s expense. Irregardless of Nationalists or Communists, Chinese people and the Chinese land have made their great sacrifices. It will have to wait for America’s next leader to complete this noble cause. Any ideology like Communism should never supersede or superimpose on one’s cultural virtues and values, or otherwise, it is going to be phased out.