gaining a preponderant position in China, while giving the Communists the opportunity to strengthen their position at the expense of the Kuomintang. Speaking with considerable foresight, Sato tells Tokyo: “As for the Kuomintang itself, in a certain sense its greatest fear is not of Japan, but of the Chinese Communist Party, since the latter may someday become the leading party in China. As a result, the Kuomintang is inclined to leave the defeat of Japan up to America and is devoting its entire energies to the preservation of its position.”
