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12.
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satisfactory means of livelihood, but it is up to you to wake
up and work hard.
The Communists have disseminated many groundless
rumours. In view of my opposition to them, they have
falsely accused me of oppressing our masses and of being a
new militarist. All of you should carefully consider the
matter, and by no means be misled by them. The steps we
have temporarily taken to keep the Communists under
observation is the result of the revelation by the Central
Kuomintang of how they have prejudiced our military progress,
and for the safety of the thousands of lives in our
Revolutionary Armies and for the minimization of the hardship
of millions of our people. We have been compelled to effect
a check to their activity during our present military crisis.
This is necessary for the military purposes of our Revolut-
ion. We are merely keeping them under observation pending
the accomplishment of our military task, and we do not want
to cause any danger to their lives or to make any "Party Litigation" against them. The re-organisation of the
associations of workmen and peasants in which power has been
usurped by the Communists, is also based on this object, and
is intended to give a chance to the true peasants and work- men to develop their own organisations with freedom. The attack on our troops by the pickets of the General Labour
Union in Shanghai with machine-guns and percussion guns with
a view to creating a disturbance is a question of military
affairs in time of war. Of the 90 pickets arrested during their attack on the Headquarters of the 26th Division on the 13th April over 40 had with them badges of the Chihli and
Shanghang troops. This shows that the Communists are prepared
to ally with any militarists and to resort to any action, so
long