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The Definition. At first the Special Envoy listened much, spoke little. He was direct, straightforward, unfailingly polite. Soon his visitors referred to him as "The Old Professor," a token of esteem in China, where the scholar still ranks above the other three classes (farmers, artisans and merchants) of society.
Once a delegation of the Democratic League, including several eminent educators, was asked by Marshall to be specific in its proposals for democracy. A delegate countered: "What is democracy?"
The Special Envoy did not hesitate. "At the risk of entering into theoretical discussion with a group of experts, who should be giving me a definition," he said, "I might say there seem to be a great many definitions of democracy in the world today . . . . The Russians have one, the British have another, we have our own . . . . I can only tell you what many
Americans consider to be the definition of democracy. We think of it as a system which gives us an inherent right to have a voice in our own affairs, the right to speak freely, the right to assemble peaceably, and to go about our own affairs without interference unless we interfere with the rights of others. . . ."
The Proving Ground. The test of the experiment was the conference on the military truce, in which the Special Envoy sat as chairman and mediator. On his left was General Chou Enlai, the Communists' veteran No. 1 negotiator; on his right was General Chang Chun, the Government's progressive-minded governor of Szechwan. There was a variation in this setup during the conference on military reorganization. Then Marshall sat only as adviser. General Chou spoke for the Communists; General Chang Chih-chung, onetime aide-de-camp to Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek, carried on for the Government.
The Special Envoy did not force his opinions. He preferred to state the issues, then let each side express its views. And he always steered the discussion to a specific, written proposal. At the proper psychological moment, he would pour on the catalyzing chemicals of a working democrat.
Sometimes he would step into a foment of angry words, suggest that the point be suspended, direct the talk elsewhere. Or, smiling warmly, Marshall would invite all to an interlude of tea, American style, with pastries and sandwiches.
Intuition and tact made an indispensable formula. At first the Special Envoy could not fathom General Chou's insistence that the Communists needed more time to reorganize their army. Then he got a flash. Would it speed things up if U.S. officers taught the Communists the fundamentals of modern military staff work? General Chou leaped at the suggestion, hurried to Yenan and hurried back with approval. What had held the Communists back was the fear of fumbling and losing face in the process of streamlining their unwieldy forces.