The Kuomintang Anti-Japanese International Propaganda War Research

According to the historical divisions in the history of the Communist Party of China, the Decade before 1937 belongs to the Agrarian Revolutionary War period, thus de-familiarizing the anti-Japanese war preparation of the Kuo Min Tang government more or less. As well as, due to the notorious influence of the policy of Resisting Foreign Aggressions after Stabilizing the Country carried by KMT, there is a lack of sympathetic understanding of the anti-Japanese behavior of KMT after the September 18th Incident. Guided by the principle of esteeming the historical facts, this issue conducted a primary study of the KMT anti-Japanese international propaganda after the September 18th Incident, which is the largest one before 1937.The KMT government was facing a severe international public opinions environment then.The Japanese have been spreading a large sum of voices against China to rationalizing its aggression for a long time. While the corresponding of China was weak, particularly the motivation of international propaganda of Chiang Kai-shek was always hesitating in the balancing of Stabilizing the Country and Resisting Foreign Aggressions, and there was no consensus in the KMT leaders or a persistent organization for international propaganda as a result. And the mass media available to international propaganda was also weak and infantile because of China's infirm comprehensive national power, so the international correspondence was nearly monopolized by foreign agencies.Following the break out of September 18th incident, the Diplomacy of League of Nation raised the status of international propaganda in the anti-Japanese plan of the KMT, and a general plan has been worked out by the Special Foreign Relations Committee. Facing with critical issues,the function of mass media in international propaganda was limited, so the KMT had to work hard on organizational communication channels. However there was still a vigorous internal friction in the KMT at that hard period, and the international propaganda plans which was stepping in the right direction crumbled with the retirement declaration of Chiang Kai-shek in December 15th,1931.In a month, Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei made a deal and back on the stage, and they took a gentle policy to Japan named Resistance while negotiating, which also shaped the strategy of international propaganda. Meanwhile the consciousness of international propaganda in KMT promoted. Hosted by the KMT, China conducted a few government PR and civil diplomacy activities surrounding the Inquiry Commissions of the League of Nations and its report until 1933 years to call for international justice and punishment to Japan. And mass media such as the Central Broadcasting Radio, the Central News Agency and the forth also accelerated construction and played a more and more important role after all.Hosted by Chiang Kai-shek, the KMT constructed its international propaganda discourse with three dimensions. Firstly, refuting rumors from Japan to clarify responsibility of the severe condition, and dispersing the fact of Japanese aggression to international society. Secondly,quoting international agreements and the League of Nations resolutions to persuade the European and American powers by personal feelings and states interests. Thirdly, limited presenting the unyielding resistance against Japanese aggression of Chinese army, defending the superficial unite of the KMT, and indicating the role of victim of China.To sum up, the international propaganda calling for justice and sympathy did a favor to Chiang Kai-shek's anti-Japanese general plan, and postponed Japanese aggression to some extent.However, the KMT did not do a good enough job at international propaganda as expected themselves due to material conditions and domestic and foreign policies, and it's easy to find out shortcomings, take the narrow channels of communications, the poor conditions of mass media for example. When it comes to the efficiency of international propaganda work, we can neither overlook nor exaggerate it, but judge it objectively in terms of international power structure instead.