[MAO ZEDONG, ZHOU ENLAI, et al.] Holograph Letter in an unknown hand, with secretarial signatures of MAO ZEDONG, ZHOU ENLAI, BO GU, and ZHANG WENTIAN, 6 pp, 8vo, n.p., August 9, [1936], an 18 point letter addressed to Zhang Xueliang outlining a strategy to convince Chiang Kai-shek to cooperate with Communist forces, in blue ink with several emendations in black ink, on thin paper, light creasing, toning, some staining from paper clip to last 2 leaves.

A LENGTHY SECRET MISSIVE FROM THE CCP TO ZHANG OUTLINING PLANS FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, COMPLETE WITH LIST OF CODE NAMES FOR CCP AND KMT OPERATIVES. Mao, Zhou, and two other important Communist Party leaders permit their names to be added to this letter to Zhang Xueliang, a follow up to lot 2. This letter begins by immediately outlining the core military strategies suggested by the CCP: first, the cooperation of Zhang's forces in the takeover of the Lanzhov territory, and then further resistance to the Japanese at Suiyuan. The letter argues that the planning for this event must be completed within the next three months, while Chiang Kai-shek is still distracted by the Guangdong-Guangxi Incident (a coup movement provoked by Chiang's effort to end Guangdong province's autonomy, often seen by historians as a precurser to the Xi'an Incident). Once success has been achieved, the CCP letter argues, Chiang will have no choice but to cooperate with the Red Army in its resistance against Japan.
The letter includes a warning to Zhang to stay away from Nanjing for fear Chiang will try to harm him, and to only work with his most trusted officers. It concludes with a request for his suggestions and comments, and closes (translated): "Salute to the revolution of the resistance against the Japanese!" The sixth leaf is a "coded name list" effective August 15, and includes the names of KMT, CCP and Soviet figures.