 The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present the Pacific story. In the mounting fury of world conflict, events in the Pacific are taking on ever greater importance. Here is the story of the Pacific and the millions of people who live around this greatest sea. The drama of the people's whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. Here is another public service, is the tale of the war in the Pacific and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. The Long March. This machine gun. Yeah, right over here. Take only the things we must have. Are all the horses and mules packed? Yes Captain Wang, they are packed with more than they can carry. So it will be with all of us. Get those machine parts and that ammunition packed on those animals. Give me a hand with these supplies over here. Packing went on through the day into the blackness of the night. All of us knew what lay ahead of us. Ahead lay a 6,000 mile march. Many of us would never reach the northwest at all. But there was no staying here. We are hemmed in. This was Peng Teh Wei, deputy commander of General Chu Teh. Look at this map. Peng spread a map before General Chu Teh and Mao Tse Dong and Lin. I stood by as a member of the staff. Here, you see General Chu. The nationalists are closing in around the Red District from every side. Yes, they will close this vice about us whenever the time is right for them. They have tried to crush us four times with extermination campaigns and we have defeated them every time. The situation is graver now, Lin, graver than ever before. Their fifth campaign against us is almost a year old and they still have not crushed us. Their fortification systems and blockhouses are like a great wall around us. We have no alternative, that is right Mao. If we stay, we are lost. But General Chu, we cannot move against an army of a million well-equipped men. We must break out or we are hopelessly trapped. We have an army of scarcely 90,000. We are outnumbered, 10 to 1. But we are charged with the protection of half a million Chinese. And if we are crushed here, they will be crushed with us. If we can fight our way across China to the northwest, we shall join friendly forces and there we can make our stand. The high-speed fighting planes of the nationalists will bomb us and strafe us every mile of the way. What do we have to fight them? Nothing but a few battered hulks of aircraft. That is right, Lin. Compared with the nationalists, we have nothing. Even our bombs are handmade. Yet, in the face of all this, if we are to survive, we must break through the ring of steel around us. And we must march every mile of the way across China to the northwest. We must go. We pack through the day and into the darkness of the night. Captain Wang, yes, General Chu. You will start the first division troops toward Southern Jiangxi at midnight tonight. Yes, sir. Give them the order to march toward Yutubu. After these regulars are on their way, replace them with partisans. Yes, sir. Tomorrow night at midnight, you will send the second division and replace them in the same way with partisans. Only a small rearguard will remain here. That was the order. Five hundred thousand men, women and children. Ninety thousand red troops started the long march. We assembled near Yutubu in the Southern Jiangxi province. And from there marched day by day. Planes coming! Scattered like chaff before the wind, but the planes dived upon us. The planes came down and spattered our long columns with bullets and shrapnel. General Chu called me. How heavy have our losses been, Captain Wang? I think about a third, General Chu. Our vanguard has been held back by our heavy transport. Starting tonight, we will march only at night. We are too burdened down by equipment and supplies. We must abandon all that is not absolutely essential. We are getting along now with almost nothing. We have got to get along with less. And starting tonight, we will make a series of diversionary maneuvers. Now, here is the plan. We marched and counter-marched. Painted in one direction and swiftly made a forced march in another direction. We maneuvered in Kuai Chao for four months. We fought day by day. And when the firing had stopped and between night marches, we organized mass meetings of peasants and youths everywhere. What is the meaning of your army? You do not destroy our homes as the other armies have done. The eager youths and peasants asked questions. Where are you going, all of you? We are the army of the people. Our great leader, Mao Zedong, spoke to them. We will help you if you will let us. We are struggling for the same things that you are struggling for. We have not come to kill you or to burn down your houses or to destroy your lands. We have come through your country on our way to the northwest where we can live as we choose in safety and freedom. We are fighting for the new China. Above everything, we are fighting to free our country from the Japanese. The peasants and youths were bewildered. For years they had suffered poverty and bitterness and fear. We gave them seed. Here is wheat seed. It is spring and time to sow. We taught them better ways to till their soil. Plant this coily corn in furrows like this. You will have tall green stalks and rich yellow corn. We taught them crop rotation. Next season plant wheat where the corn is planted and corn where the wheat is planted. Your crops will prosper and you will have more food and better food. When we were ready to move on, there were many with other interests. Let us come with you. We can fight and work. We too must fight for the new China. All 20,000 of you who wish to join us and march with us toward Yangtzee, let me hear your voices! Get down! Feet are bleeding man, both of them. Yes, General Chu, the road has cut my foot gear. Here, let me help you up. Up now. Oh, I cannot stand on them, sir. I know you cannot now. Put this foot up into this curve. I help you up on my horse. No, no, General Chu, I cannot take your horse. This is an order. Now up! Oh, oh. Now throw your leg over. That is it. I cannot ride while you walk, General Chu. When your feet are well, give the horse to some other soldier who cannot walk. Yes, sir. Now get on with the line of march. As General Chu stood watching the soldier riding away, pain came up. General Chu, sir. Yes, Ping? We have just received intelligence that every direct road leading to the Yangtzee has been blockaded and every possible crossing of the river has been cut off. We must cross the Yangtzee Ping. The enemy has taken all the boats to the north bank of the river and right now they are being burned. General Chu looked out to the horizon of the direction of the Yangtzee River. Behind us are thousands and thousands plotted on. Then he turned back to Ping. They are trying to force us into the southwest, the wastelands of Tibet. Captain Wang? Yes, sir. Call a halt. Yes, sir. Call him! The thousands stopped and milled around in the darkness while General Chu and Ping plotted the next stage of the march. Your idea, General Chu, is to continue the march southward into Yunnan? As a diversionary maneuver, yes. Send only a few divisions to the southward. Yes, sir. The main line of march will continue westward. I see. Your plan is to draw the enemy forces away from the Yangtzee. That is right. When we have weakened the forces along the Yangtzee, we will be ready to move directly on the river. One detachment of our troops marched steadily southwards for four days. Enemy planes! They're coming back again! It was bombed and strayed through every daylight hour. Meantime, our main force of three columns moved westward. I have called you of my staff together for a serious decision. Mao Zedong and Peng and Lin and myself listened silently. There is a ferry across the Yangtzee, 85 miles from here, at Chaoping Port. We all knew about the ferry, knew its values. Can we march these 85 miles in one day and one night? We looked at each other. Mao spoke. The men might be able to make it, but we would have to leave most of our wagons and carts behind. Peng, the road is rough and narrow. We can only take a minimum of food. We must try it. Peng, give the troops a short rest. Yes, sir. We'll leave all the wagons and carts here. At sundown, give the order for the march to the ferry. Take all preparations. The preparations were made at once for the forced march. We will take nothing but the few rifles and machine guns we have. There is much ammunition we can carry. Get those wagons and carts out of the way. Get those horses and mules back. Throughout the hours of the night, we marched on. We were half dead of fatigue. If we could reach the ferry before the enemy realized we were coming, we might be able to take control of it. We pushed on. At dawn, we passed through some hills. The Nationalists, the Nationalists! A company of nationalist troops hidden in the hills swept down upon us. We have destroyed the enemy attachment and have taken the uniforms of all the national troops we captured. This was the report of Lin. We resumed the march. At last, we had covered the 85 miles and were outside Chaoping Fort, which commanded the ferry. If we wear the uniforms of the captured Nationalist troops, we might be able to get into the fort before we are noticed. It was agreed. We put on the Nationalist uniforms, the 25 of us, left our troops behind and started across the open terrain before the fort. Look at that catcherous river down in that gorge. No man could live in those waters. There are boats on the other side of the river. Look, see them? And they did not burn the boats. Not all of them at least. Come on. We entered through the Great Gate. We passed the centuries. And Lin addressed himself to the Nationalist Lieutenant on duty. I have a detail of troops to transport across the river tonight. Yes, sir. Have those boats on the other side of the river brought over here at once. We must cross before nightfall. After the Nationalist Lieutenant had called the boats, Lin dismissed him. Soon a motorboat was coming across for us. Only 12 of us can get into that boat, Captain Wang. They can carry you and me and 10 of our men. Yes. Leon, yes, Lin. Captain Wang and I and 10 of our men here will cross in this boat. After we have gone, take the Lieutenant prisoner, secure this side of the ferry, then send word to General Chu. Yes, sir. Lin and 10 pick men and I got into the boat. As the boatmen headed out into the stream, they regarded us suspiciously. Lin, we fell upon the armed boat. Here. Give me that pistol. Grab that rifle. Grab that. Grab that commie. While the boats careened and rocked in the rough waters of the Yanxi, we disarmed the boatmen and tied them up. Damn we are. We took all the boats on the north side of the river, across to the south side where our people were waiting. All night long we ferried our people across. By noon the next day the vanguard of our main force came up. For nine days we ferried our people until every man and woman and child of us was across the Yanxi and in Sichuan province. We pressed on into independent Lolo land, the wild country of the black and white Lolo's. Down! Lolo Sniper! Down! We are ambushed. Deploy to firing position. How serious have our losses been to these tribesmen? Very serious, General Qiu. They are expert snipers and gorillas. We must make friends of them. They will not listen to friendly talk. Commander Liu knows their tongue and customs. Send him to the Lolo chief. And Wang? Yes, sir. You will go along with Commander Liu? Yes, sir. We started at midnight and arrived in the Lolo village at dawn. You Lolo's have been oppressed by the Chinese as we have. Why should we not unite for freedom? You give us weapons. We will share all we have with you. Here. Here is my pistol and all the bullets I have. We will help you free your people who have been taken by the enemy. Will you become our blood brother? Gladly. And newly killed chicken was brought in. Commander Liu drank from the cup of warm blood. Then the Lolo chief drank from it. Who violates this friendship shall be as weak and cowardly as the foul whose blood we drink and himself shall die the same. The Wild Lolo's became our guides. They led us over miles of narrow mountain trails. Here, Mao Tse Dong fell ill. Four orderlies carried him on a litter on their shoulders. We pushed on down to the rushing waters of the Tatu Ho, swifter and wider than the Yangtzee. In the face of the enemy on the north bank, we forced our way across. Then the enemy planes discovered us. It is not only the bombings, General Chu. The river is running faster and the crossings are becoming more difficult. This was Mao Tse Dong. How many troops have a ferry to cross? About one division. Mao is right, General Chu. We cannot continue our crossing this way. It will take weeks to get our people across. There is an iron chain suspension bridge, 400 Lee, west of here. Yes, that is the one called the bridge fixed by Leo. Yes, it is the last possible crossing this side of Tibet. Perhaps it would be better to advance to that bridge and take it and cross there. It is heavenly defended, General Chu. If our troops on the north side and our troops here on the south side march on it, we should have a chance to take it. I say let us try it. And you, Kang? It seems our wisest move. Give the order to march at dusk. Both armies. Tired to death, hungry, many of us barefoot. We march through the night. I cannot go farther. I cannot breathe. Here, here, let me help you. No, no, do not stop for me. Go on, do not stop. Many died along the way. There was no time to lose. At dawn, General Chu came up to me. Captain Wong, let me have your field glasses. Yes, sir, here. Thanks. Can you see our troops on the north bank, sir? They must have fallen behind. Can you see no troops at all? Yes. Yes, but they are nationalist troops. They are marching as fast as they can. They must know we are headed for the suspension bridge. We must get there first at all costs. Give the order to move with all possible speed. All that day, we raced on opposite sides of the tattoo home. By nightfall, our vanguard, the pick of our young, strong men, were drawing ahead of the army. At last, we sighted the bridge. It was an old bridge of sixteen iron chains. The floor was great timbers thrown across the chains. But on the south side, our side of the bridge, halfway to the middle, there were no boards. Only the heavy chains stretching across a hundred yards of the torrent below. I am calling for thirty volunteers to cross hand-over-hand on both chains before the enemy reinforcements arrive. Before you volunteer, remember, there are enemy guards with machine guns set up across the bridge to oppose you. Who will go? From the many who volunteered, thirty were selected. Morses and hand grenades were strapped to their backs. There he goes. This Lin, he is the first one. Look at him swing out over the rushing water on that chain. The enemy is opening fire with machine guns. Return the fire of that machine gun. Yes, sir. Our machine gun fire is distracting the enemy fire. Yes. Look, Lin is halfway out to where the boards begin. Hit Lin, that rifle hit Lin. He dropped, he dropped down into the river. Lin fell to death. The next volunteer kept going, swinging hand-over-hand on the chain out over the river. Liang fell to death. The third kept going. They missed him. They missed him. That's Yao Fu. Look, he's reached the board. He's reached the board. He's crawling up onto the board. Machine gunner, pin down that enemy fire over there. Yes, sir. Yao Fu uncapped a grenade and running across the boards held it into the enemy gun position. He signed us that gun. Now the rest of you volunteers, swing out on those chains. Get off him. Our troops on the north side of the river are coming up. Yes. Yes, sir, they are coming up. Captain Wang. Yes, sir. Make preparations to move the column across the bridge. We will be ready to move across very soon now. We had come 4,000 miles. And ahead lay 2,000 miles more. We marched on into the towering, forbidding mountain ranges. These are the great snowy mountains, 16,000 feet high. The blood of our thousands has stained its snow. This is the Chong Lai Ai Ring. Our suffering men and animals fell along its trails and never rose. This is beautiful dream-pan mountain. Its soil is strewn without people who would go no farther and die in here. This is the big drum. The lowest there stretches the wild country of the Man Tzu tribesmen. This is the big drum. The country of the Man Tzu tribesmen. Gloria Man Tzu's swept down upon us before dawn, riding like wildfire, shooting from the saddle and cutting us down like wheat. Take cover. Do not try to stand against them. Concentrate your fire. While we buried our dead, General Tzu called his staff together. We must negotiate with him. These Man Tzu tribesmen and nomadic siphon parlay with no one. We have not been able to capture even one of them. They will kill everyone who comes through Western Sichuan here. Yes, I have heard that they have defeated the provincial armies, even the nationalist armies sent against them. But we must treat with them as we did with the laurels. We marched on. But we could find no food. The tribesmen moved all food. Everything we needed or could use out of the way of our advance. We could neither confiscate or buy food. Not a tribesman was to be found anywhere. From invisible positions, they picked off our men as they passed through the narrow defile. Flanked their positions and drive them out. We fight our way through. This was General Tzu's order. We marched on. We fought for every pound of food for our people. We fought for every foot of progress. The invisible enemy was all around us. And our dead was scattered all along the line of our march. At last we were through the Manzhu country. My head of us, General Tzu, are the grasslands of Sichuan. Yes, and here I will leave you, Mao Zedong. You and Ping will press on toward Shenzi. I will join you when my work is done here. It rained endlessly. Guides, let us through the tall grasses and swamps. Do not wander off this trail. They close behind me. Here is some green wheat I found. I found these vegetables. We will have to eat them raw. Yes, there is no firewood. We've foraged for food as we passed on. At night we huddled together under bushes for protection against the rain. We marched from dawn to dark. Help! Help! I'm sinking in this mud! Going down! Help! I'm sinking in this mud! Quick! Quick! Give them a hand. Throw them at all. They are sinking into the mud. They are sinking out of sight. They are sinking out of sight. Pull out the other one. Hang on there! Hang on to the rope! Pull! Pull me out! Oh, it stuck me down. I could not help myself. Take care of this man. The other one is gone. What is in there? Anything we can do? Nothing. We have sunk out of sight into the mud as thousands have. We must go up. We left Sichuan and at last entered Kansu. On October 20th, 1935, one year after we had left southern Kiansi, we halted below the Great Wall in Shenzhen. My comrades, at last we are safe and we are together. The thousands looked up wearily at Mao Tse Dong. We who are here have walked 6,000 miles and have fought every mile of the way. There were 90,000 of us when we started. There are 20,000 of us left. Ragged, bleeding and foot sore glowed with achievement in their rags as they listened. We struggled over 18 mountain ranges. Some of them capped with snow and ice. Our blood was mixed with the waters of 24 rivers, but we crossed them, all of them. Our people fell on the plains and in the mountain passes and on the deserts and in the swamps. We who have come through must live for the things for which they died. Here in the northwest at last we are no longer scattered. We are united. We have friends to the north and the west. Here we will live as we have chosen to live. As we have fought for our way of life so we will fight the Japanese and so we will fight for the new China. The Pacific Story, presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations has a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cross currents of life in the Pacific Basin. For a reprint of this Pacific Story program send 10 cents in stance or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. May I repeat? For a reprint of this Pacific Story program send 10 cents in stance or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written and directed by Arnold Marquess. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Palusso. The principal voice was that of Eddie Marr. This program came to you from Hollywood This is the National Broadcasting Company.