The conflicting messages which have appeared in print regarding the Communist situation in Kweichow may leave the reader in pardonable doubt as to what has happened in that sorely-tried province. On the one day come reports of a smashing Government victory; on the next, news that the Reds have turned back into the province and have inflicted reverse on the Government. The truth lies probably between the two. The Reds who have for some time straddled the Yunan-Szechuan-Kwel-chow border, apparently divided into two columns for a move further westward, One of these columns seems to have found itself in dangerous proximity to, perhaps actually attacked by, a strong Government force to their north. They have apparently abandoned for the moment all intention to move westwards and have turned in a southerly direction. The movements of the others are obscure. The Government has nu fewer than seven divisions in Kwel-chow, not counting the Kwangsi divisions still in the south-eastern corner of the province. Numerically, they should be able to counter any move by the communists, expeclally as the latter must be running short of ammunition and will prob ably try to avoid all major engagements that are likely to exhaust their supplies. So far as can be ascertain+ fed, the Reds who have captured Mr, 8." C. Frencham in south-western, Shensi are now mostly over the border in Kansu and are moving towards the north-west. They appear have entered an area made temporarily defenceless by a movement of Government troops southwards towards the Szechuan border to ce-operate in the campaign to rid north-eastern Szechuan of the Communist menace, Doubtless they will be foreed to move on at the troops, their objective achieved, march back to their old stations.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.