Today is National Day of the forty-ninth year of our Republic. On this day the victorious Wuchang Uprising of 1911 broke out under our national father Dr. Sun Yat-sen's leadership. That was forty-nine years ago and next year we shall celebrate the first half-century mark of the Republic of China.
Fellow-Countrymen: Before the Revolution of 1911, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, despite ten abortive uprisings, held steadfastly to his faith in the revolutionary cause and in the national sense of righteousness by continuing to lead the revolutionary elements until he succeeded in establishing the first democratic republic in Asia. This revolutionary struggle set an example for and also raised the curtain on a widespread nationalist movement among various peoples in Asia. Dr. Sun thus became not only the forerunner of democracy in Asia, but also the symbol of independence and freedom of all Asian peoples. Later our victory in the War of Resistance against Japan further aroused the aspirations of all Asian peoples for national self-determination and we have helped them, directly and indirectly, in achieving their objectives. Today, not only nations in Asia but also those in Africa have one after another realized their desire for independence in a general upsurge of national self -determination.
During the past fifty years, both our country and our people have made incomparable sacrifices, and we have also made great contributions to Asian and African peoples. Yet in the end the Chinese mainland came to be occupied by the Soviet-controlled Communist puppet regime. But in the ten years since the removal of the Government to Taiwan, in the face of the all-out pressure of the Communist bloc, we have been fighting incessantly for our own national existence and for the freedom of mankind. Throughout this period we have remained firm in our national resolve until today we have become a bastion for the Southeast Asia and the free world and a principal link in the anti-Communist front in the Western Pacific. This proves that the lofty ideals of the Chinese people and the Three People's Principles, which is the basis of our National Revolution, are serving not the self-interest of anyone country but the interest of democracy and freedom for all mankind. If such a great nation could not have freedom, then the world could not have genuine freedom; if such a country could not have real independence, then the world could have no guaranty for peace and security. That was why I told an American correspondent in the winter of 1918 that: "Without a free and independent Republic of China, there can be no peace and security in Asia and the whole world." The truth of this statement has become more apparent and more unassailable with the passage of time.
People of the world will not easily forget one fact which has been burned into their memory. This is that the outbreak of the International Communists' war of aggression against Korea happened less than one year after the Chinese mainland had fallen into the hands of the Russian and Chinese Communists. Then followed the outbreak of the war in Vietnam and the military clashes on the Sino-Burmese and Sino-Indian borders. Moreover, the war in Laos is still continuing with no end in sight.
During the last ten years, from the intensified Communist infiltration and subversive activities in various parts of Asia to the present unrest and disorder in Africa and Latin America, the source of every one of these tragic happenings is traceable to the fall of the. Chinese mainland. This has pointed up an indisputable fact, that is, if the Republic of China succeeds in its struggle for freedom and independence, all Asian countries will have security; and conversely, if the freedom and independence of the Republic of China are impaired, other Asian nations which have already won independence, will all be affected. They will feel insecure and may even lose again their independence and freedom.
Here, I wish to make a comparison between the Republic of China and the Chinese Communist regime. It is common knowledge that after the establishment of the Republic of China in 1911 and our victory in the War of Resistance against Japan in 1945, many Asian nations gained independence and freedom one after another. On the other hand, since the Chinese Communists seized the Chinese mainland in 1919, numerous Asian nations have come under the threat of Communist political infiltration and military aggression with no longer any guaranty of peace and security. Herein lies the hinge on which turns the stability or chaos of Asian nations and the security or danger as well as the well-being or catastrophe of mankind as a whole.
Moreover, we should all know that the re-emergence of the Republic of China will not only contribute to the preservation of peace and freedom in our own land but also to that of the world. The importance of China's position in relation to world peace, especially to the security and freedom of Asia is really unparalleled. That is why we are convinced that the destiny of the Republic of China is inseparably linked with that of Asia and of the free world. We firmly believe that as long as we remain true to our great national spirit, and to Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Three People's Principles, follow in the footsteps of our revolutionary martyrs and carry on our struggle with unity and perseverance, we shall certainly succeed in our counter-offensive and our task of national recovery.
However, there are still in the world some short-sighted and prejudiced politicians. They are not only blind to the Republic of China's key position in relation to the peace and security for all Asian nations during the past fifty years but also allow themselves to be dominated by their fear of Communism, by their selfish ideas, and furthermore by their illusions of appeasement of and peaceful co-existence with the Communists. They have purposely ignored all decisive conditions favorable to our counter-offensive and national recovery, and have at the same time tried by every possible means to undermine our anti-Communist strength and our prestige. They have declared that the free world can not ignore the fact that 600,000,000 people on the main land are controlled and dominated by the Chinese Communists, without realizing, however, that more than 98 per cent of the same 600,000,000 people are absolutely anti-Communist and have nothing but hate for the Communists. The truth is that these people are not on the side of the puppet Communist regime. On the contrary, they may be regarded as reserve forces of our national revolutionary army despatched to the mainland as a vanguard. They represent a hidden power of the Republic of China in the course of China's struggle against communism and Russian Imperialism. Therefore, what the free world can not afford to ignore today is not the Chinese Communist control of the mainland but the common longing of people living under Communist tyranny on the mainland for their fatherland that is free, and their strong and persistent revolutionary spirit and their strength against Communist tyranny.
What the sixty years of history and experience of our National Revolution has taught us is that our successes in the past were determined not by the number of men or the size of military strength at our disposal, but rather by our high revolutionary spirit and our strong confidence in the Chinese nation. Today, nothing further need be said if there should be no wish to save Asia and the world from the Red terror in time. If there is such a wish, then the only way is for the Republic of China to continue shouldering the heavy responsibility of combating communism and Russian Imperialism and of saving our country and effecting our national recovery. We are fully aware that various troubles in the free world today began with the tragic fall of the Chinese mainland, and that these troubles will end only when the tragedy of Communist domination on the mainland comes to an end. As descendants of Yenti and Huangti* as well as revolutionary believers of the Three People's Principles, we not only have faith in our personal and national salvation and in the ultimate victory of our task of national recovery, but also accept the common responsibility of saving Asia and the whole world.
Fellow-Countrymen: Today, I call upon you to carry out the following:
First, let us all unite once again under the banner of the Three People's Principles to form another great rally in the history of our National Revolution. The revolutionary principles of national construction as laid down in Dr. Sun's Three People's Principles are the common spiritual criterion for all Chinese, whether at home or abroad at the front or in enemy territory. Today with the fate of our country and people hanging in the balance, we should all the more unite together, no matter where we are, overseas, on the mainland, or on Kinmen, Matsu, Taiwan and Penghu, to constitute another great force in the course of our National Revolution. We should cast aside all prejudices arising from parochialism and factionalism.
Instead, we should trust one another and work as a team for the sake of "Counter-Offensive First" and "National Recovery First", and march forward hand in hand along the broad path as indicated by the Three People's Principles in the spirit of justice and righteousness for the purpose of national recovery and national reconstruction.
Secondly, everyone of our compatriots, military and civilian alike, should hold firmly to our great national faith, and magnify the potentialities in his innate knowledge and natural ability and apply them to self-help and national salvation. That is to say, come what may, everybody should retain his faith in the ultimate victory, and demonstrate his revolutionary spirit by strengthening oneself, helping oneself, relying on oneself and having confidence in oneself. Through self-help we seek international mutual assistance and through self-confidence we seek the trust of our allies. We should unite all anti-Communist forces, and struggle together to wipe out communism, to deliver our compatriots on the mainland from suffering and to fulfill our mission of combating communism and Russian Imperialism. For this reason at this juncture there is all the more reason for every citizen first of all to rejuvenate his revolutionary spirit, examine his thinking on anti-communism, distinguish right and wrong, realize advantages and disadvantages, separate friends from foes and see differences between good and evil. He must be imbued with a sense of propriety, righteousness, personal integrity and humility, together with a sense of responsibility and discipline. Furthermore, no one should indulge in selfishness, in thought of momentary security, in leaving one-self aside whenever there is work to be done, in expecting others to do what need be done, in opportunism and in depending on luck. Instead, everyone should disregard past favor or grudges, accept responsibility and be prepared to sacrifice one's personal interests for the cause of our National Revolution. The way to fulfill one's duty is to apply all these points to one's actions.
Fellow-Countrymen, we are a peace-loving and freedom-respecting nation with a long history and a superior culture and our country occupies a vast area on earth with a quarter of the world's population. We naturally cannot hope to be able to regain our freedom and independence from the evil clutches of International Communism, in a very short period of time. Besides, the nearer our victory, the more difficult our situation, and the more grim our fight. This is true especially now when the Communists are going all-out in their infiltration and subversion and in their "united front" tactics of deception and division. Herein lies the greatest danger on our anti-Communist front which we must overcome first. It is also a necessary phase before achieving final victory in our revolutionary war. But we are confident that freedom shall triumph over slavery, righteousness over violence, and the Three People s Principles over communism. As long as our compatriots, military and civilian alike, bear in mind the glorious deeds of our martyrs who died in the National Revolution in 1911, display our loyalty to the country and to the nation, and shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding our national sense of righteousness and our splendid culture, I believe our task of National Recovery today will meet with no greater difficulties than those encountered in the overthrow of the Manchu Dynasty in 1911, in the Northward Expedition, or in the War of Resistance against Japan.
Moreover, the Chinese Communists are now beset with crises both internally and externally, just like the fatal case of a man in whose body a hundred diseases are breaking forth simultaneously or like a fish dying of its numerous wounds. Our compatriots on the mainland have been rising continuously and resolutely in anti-Communist revolts. The combined military and political strength on Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu has been fast increasing and combat preparations have been completed. In this strategical situation when the anti-Communist revolution on the mainland and our forces of counter-offensive in the Taiwan Straits are being merged into one, I firmly believe that within three or five years at most we shall be able to achieve our national aim of overthrowing the Communist satrap and delivering our suffering compatriots from tyranny as long as all of our anti-Communist and patriotic fighters unite in their purpose and act in unison against our common enemy. This is no subjective wishful thinking, but is an objective fact laid out right before us. Fellow-Countrymen! Let us remember that the time-table for our counter-offensive and national recovery is etched on our own heart-our determination as well as our faith.
Fellow-Countrymen: Our common faith is the Three People's Principles, our common aim is the counter-offensive and National Recovery, and our common task is the deliverance of our compatriots on the mainland and the regeneration of our nation. As long as we have full confidence in ourselves, discharge our duties, and weld all combat groups whether they are here on Taiwan or abroad, in free areas or in enemy territory, into one massive combat force to move from every direction in an all-people and decisive counter-offensive against the Communists, we shall be able to use the victory in our war of National Recovery, as an instrument with which to consolidate freedom and independence in all Asian nations, and to avert the catastrophe of another world war. This is the way to emulate the glory of our Revolution of 1911. It is also the way to bring solace to the spirit of our National Father and other martyrs in Heaven.
Now let us all join in the cheers of the day:
Victory in our counter-offensive and success in our National Recovery!
Long live the Three People's Principles.
Long live the Republic of China.
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* Two mythical emperors generally referred to as ancestors of the Chinese people.