78:DIPLOMATIC HISTORY Zhou Enlai)to the party's Northeast Bureau on 10 November maintained that because the British,American,and French governments had not recognized Chinese Communist authori- ties,the CCP would not grant official status to their diplomats,treating them as common foreigners without diplomatic immunity.The telegram further instructed the Northeast Bu- reau to take "certain measures"to confine the"freedom of action"of the Western diplomats,so that"they will have to withdraw from Shenyang."I On 17 November,Mao Zedong instructed Gao Gang.the CCP leader in the northeast,to act resolutely to force the British,American. and French diplomats out of Shenyang.2 The next day.Mao authorized the Communists in Shenyang to seize the radio transmitters in the Western consulates.3 When the Americans refused to hand over their radio equipment to Communist authorities,the Communists,follow- ing Soviet advice,placed Angus Ward,the American consul,and his staff under house deten- tion on 20 November and would not allow them to leave China until December 1949.4 The CCP's challenge to Western presence in Shenyang resulted in part from immediate concerns that Western diplomats might use their radio transmitters to convey military intelligence to the GMD in the ongoing Chinese civil war.5 But,in a deeper sense,the challenge reflected the Party leadership's determination to "make a fresh start"in China's external rela- tions,which required the Party to "clean the house before entertaining guests,"as well as to"lean to one side"(the side of the Soviet Union). The above three principles became the guidelines of Communist China's early diplomacy.In a telegram to the Northeast Bureau on 23 November 1948,the CCP Central Committee expounded its view that the Party would refuse to recognize diplomatic relations between the GMD government and the West.7 In the Central Committee's "Directive on Diplomatic Affairs"of 19 January 1949,Mao Zedong declared that "with no exception will we recognize any of those embassies,legations,and consulates of capitalist countries,as well as the diplomatic establishments and personnel attached to them accredited to the GMD."The directive also made clear that the CCP would treat American and Soviet diplomats differently "as the foreign policy of the Soviet Union and the other new democratic countries has differed totally from that of the capitalist countries.8 At the Central Com- 1.CCP Central Committee to CCP Northeast Bureau,10 November 1948.Part of the telegram is published in Jin Chongji et al.,Zhou Enlai nianpu.1898-1949[A chronicle of Zhou Enlail (Beijing.1989).796.The unpublished part of the telegram,the part concerning"squeez- ing out"Western diplomats in Shenyang.can be found in Chinese Central Archives.Beijing (hereafter CCA). 2.Mao Zedong to Gao Gang.17 November 1948,CCA. 3.Mao Zedong to Gao Gang.18 November 1948,CCA. 4.For a detailed account of the Ward case see Chen Jian."The Ward Case and the Emergence of the Sino-American Confrontation,1948-1949,"Australian .burnal of Chinese Affairs30(July1993:149-70. 5.For a discussion see ibid.,154-55. 6.For a discussion of the three principles see Zhang Beijia,"The Shaping of New China's Diplomacy"(trans.Chen Jian).Chinese Historians 7.no.1-2 (1994):45-46.See also Han Nianlong et al.,Dangdai zhongguo waijiao [Contemporary Chinese diplomacy](Beijing.1989). chap.2. 7.CCP Central Committee to CCP Northeast Bureau,23 November,1949.cited in Jin et al..Zhou Enlai nianpu.740. 8.CCP Central Committee,"Directive on Diplomatic Affairs,"19 January 1949.in Zhang Shuguang and Chen Jian,eds.,Chinese Communist Foreign Policy and the Cold War in Asia: Documentary Evidence,1944-1950(Chicago.1996),doc.2.11;for Mao Zedong's remarks on the78 : D I P L O M A T I C H I S T O R Y Zhou Enlai) to the party’s Northeast Bureau on 10 November maintained that because the British, American, and French governments had not recognized Chinese Communist authori￾ties, the CCP would not grant official status to their diplomats, treating them as common foreigners without diplomatic immunity. The telegram further instructed the Northeast Bu￾reau to take “certain measures” to confine the “freedom of action” of theWestern diplomats, so that “they will have to withdraw from Shenyang.”1 On 17 November, Mao Zedong instructed Gao Gang, the CCP leader in the northeast, to act resolutely to force the British, American, and French diplomats out of Shenyang.2 The next day, Mao authorized the Communists in Shenyang to seize the radio transmitters in the Western consulates.3 When the Americans refused to hand over their radio equipment to Communist authorities, the Communists, follow￾ing Soviet advice, placed Angus Ward, the American consul, and his staff under house deten￾tion on 20 November and would not allow them to leave China until December 1949.4 The CCP’s challenge to Western presence in Shenyang resulted in part from immediate concerns that Western diplomats might use their radio transmitters to convey military intelligence to the GMD in the ongoing Chinese civil war.5 But, in a deeper sense, the challenge reflected the Party leadership’s determination to “make a fresh start” in China’s external rela￾tions, which required the Party to “clean the house before entertaining guests,” as well as to “lean to one side” (the side of the Soviet Union).6 The above three principles became the guidelines of Communist China’s early diplomacy. In a telegram to the Northeast Bureau on 23 November 1948, the CCP Central Committee expounded its view that the Party would refuse to recognize diplomatic relations between the GMD government and the West.7 In the Central Committee’s “Directive on Diplomatic Affairs” of 19 January 1949, Mao Zedong declared that “with no exception will we recognize any of those embassies, legations, and consulates of capitalist countries, as well as the diplomatic establishments and personnel attached to them accredited to the GMD.” The directive also made clear that the CCP would treat American and Soviet diplomats differently “as the foreign policy of the Soviet Union and the other new democratic countries has differed totally from that of the capitalist countries.”8 At the Central Com- 1. CCP Central Committee to CCP Northeast Bureau, 10 November 1948. Part of the telegram is published in Jin Chongji et al., Zhou Enlai nianpu, 1898–1949 [A chronicle of Zhou Enlai] (Beijing, 1989), 796. The unpublished part of the telegram, the part concerning “squeez￾ing out” Western diplomats in Shenyang, can be found in Chinese Central Archives, Beijing (hereafter CCA). 2. Mao Zedong to Gao Gang, 17 November 1948, CCA. 3. Mao Zedong to Gao Gang, 18 November 1948, CCA. 4. For a detailed account of the Ward case see Chen Jian, “The Ward Case and the Emergence of the Sino-American Confrontation, 1948–1949,” Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs 30 (July 1993): 149–70. 5. For a discussion see ibid., 154–55. 6. For a discussion of the three principles see Zhang Beijia, “The Shaping of New China’s Diplomacy” (trans. Chen Jian), Chinese Historians 7, no. 1–2 (1994): 45–46. See also Han Nianlong et al., Dangdai zhongguo waijiao [Contemporary Chinese diplomacy] (Beijing, 1989), chap. 2. 7. CCP Central Committee to CCP Northeast Bureau, 23 November, 1949, cited in Jin et al., Zhou Enlai nianpu, 740. 8. CCP Central Committee, “Directive on DiplomaticAffairs,” 19 January 1949, in Zhang Shuguang and Chen Jian, eds., Chinese Communist Foreign Policy and the Cold War in Asia: Documentary Evidence, 1944–1950 (Chicago, 1996), doc. 2. 11; for Mao Zedong’s remarks on the