The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall of the Republic of China announced today (June 30) that the 6th batch of digital files of the diaries of both Chiangs have been made public for public use. The released content includes Chiang Kai-shek’s decision to leave his hometown on the mainland on April 23, 1949. On December 7, the Nationalist Government decided to relocate to Taiwan, and on the evening of December 10, Chiang Kai-shek safely arrived in Taipei at 7:30 pm.
According to a press release from the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall of the Republic of China, since the diaries of Presidents Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo (the two Chiangs) were brought back to Taiwan from Stanford University in the United States in September 2023, the museum has been organizing and digitizing them in chronological order and has been releasing them quarterly since 2024. The 6th batch of diary data, opened on June 30, comprises a total of 6 years, 14 volumes, 3934 items, and 5810 digital files.
The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall of the Republic of China noted that between 1938 and 1941 in Chiang Kai-shek’s diary, it is possible to see the establishment of the puppet government of Wang Jingwei in China, the opposition between Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Jingwei in their anti-Japanese stance, and Wang Jingwei’s advocacy for peace talks with Japan being criticized by Chiang Kai-shek. On the international front, there are entries related to the outbreak of World War II and the United States’ entry into the war.
Internationally, in September 1939, German and Soviet forces invaded Poland, leading to the outbreak of the war in Europe and the start of World War II. In his diary on September 1, Chiang Kai-shek wrote, “The European war has begun, today Germany attacked Poland,” and on September 2, he wrote, “The victory in Europe will belong to England and France… I must join the British and French fronts early to prevent the Japanese from joining…”
On September 27, 1940, the diplomatic representatives of Germany, Italy, and Japan signed the Tripartite Pact in Berlin. In his reflection on September 22-28, Chiang Kai-shek noted, “The Tripartite Pact of Germany, Italy, and Japan has been realized… If I proceed with caution, the situation of winning the war is determined…””
On December 8, 1941, Chiang Kai-shek’s diary recorded, “Scheduled… to convene the ambassadors of Britain, America, and Russia to declare China’s determination to declare war on the Axis Powers… Japanese pirates bombed Pearl Harbor in Honolulu this morning.” On December 9, “Passed the declaration of war…” The Pacific War erupted, the United States entered the war, and the situation of World War II was thus reversed, with China formally declaring war on Japan from the beginning of the resistance in 1937.
In Chiang Ching-kuo’s diaries for 1947 and 1949 (with a missing original and copy for 1948), there are entries related to the 2/28 Incident and the government’s relocation to Taiwan.
After the 2/28 Incident in 1947, Chiang Ching-kuo arrived in Taiwan together with Bai Chongxi. Chiang Ching-kuo arrived in Taiwan on March 17 at 12:40 pm and left Taiwan on the morning of March 19 at 10:30 am, with a visit to Taiwan lasting less than 2 days.
In the diary for March 19, 1947, Chiang Ching-kuo wrote, “Commissioner Chen was eager to present the candidate list for the reorganization of the Taiwan Provincial Government, prompting me to return to the capital today. From an objective point of view, Chen Yi seems to want to make a difference. As for the good and bad qualities of cadres, it is a common phenomenon… Departed Taiwan at 10:30 this morning… Arrived in Beijing at 5:15 and immediately reported the situation in Taiwan to my father.”
In 1949, as the government of the Republic of China relocated to Taiwan, preparations prior to the relocation were frequently mentioned in Chiang Ching-kuo’s diaries for that year. In the diary entry for January 21, 1949, Chiang Ching-kuo wrote, “Father decided to resign as president… At four ten in the afternoon, he flew out of the capital…” On April 23, he noted, “Father decided to leave his hometown.” On April 24, “Accompanied my wife and children to temporarily reside in Taiwan… My wife and children flew to Taiwan in the afternoon.” In June 1949, Chiang Kai-shek chose Yangmingshan in Taipei as the location for the office of the President. On August 1st, Chiang Ching-kuo wrote, “The President’s office officially started its operation today.”
On October 1, the People’s Republic of China was established, and on October 17, Chiang Ching-kuo’s diary mentioned, “Xiamen fell, and Taiwan is under threat.” On December 7, “The government decided to relocate to Taiwan,” and on December 10, “Father originally planned to leave for Rongcheng this morning, but in order to understand the real situation in Yunnan, the departure was postponed until 2 pm. At the airport, he met sadly with Hu Zongnan and Wang Lingji. Taking off from Phoenix Mountain, looking back at the Chengdu Plain, circling low and endlessly, he safely arrived in Taipei at 7:30 pm.”
The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall of the Republic of China stated that the diaries of both Chiangs made available this time are precious historical materials recording turning points in history and welcomed the public to make use of them. In addition, the Editing Department of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is conducting simultaneous research and publication work on the diaries of both Chiangs, with 11 volumes of “Chiang Kai-shek Diaries” from 1937 to 1947 to be published in August 2025 and 5 volumes of “Chiang Ching-kuo Diaries” from 1950 to 1954 to be published in September.