The Chinese Communist Party’s success in convincing most of the State Department diplomatic corps that it was patriotic, moderate, and willing to fight Japan had a significant effect on the outcome of China’s civil war. It weakened support for the Kuomintang and enticed Americans to believe that the Communists were an acceptable alternative to Chiang Kai-shek. As World War II drew to a close, it also reinforced the notion that the Communists would be responsible members of a coalition government and not dedicated to seizing absolute power later on.
