自从一月一日蒋匪介石发动和平攻势以后，曾经连篇累牍地表示自己是愿意“缩短战争时间”，“减轻人民痛苦”，“以拯救人民为前提”的国民党反动派的英雄好汉们，一到二月上旬，和平的调子就突然低落下去，“和共党周旋到底”的老调忽又高弹起来。
#§From the time the bandit Chiang Kai-shek launched his peace offensive on January 1, the heroes of the reactionary Kuomintang clique kept on repeating at great length their willingness to "shorten the duration of the war", "alleviate the sufferings of the people" and "treat the salvation of the people as the primary consideration".# §But early in February they suddenly began to play down their peace tune and strike up the old tune of "fighting the Communists to the bitter end".
最近数日，更是如此。
# §This has been especially so in the last few days.
二月十三日，国民党中央宣传部发给“各党部各党报”的《特别宣传指示》上说：“叶剑英向我后方宣传中共对和平有诚意，而指责政府军事布置为无诚意谋和。
#§ On February 13 the Propaganda Department of the Kuomintang Central Executive Committee issued a "Special Directive for Propaganda" to "all party headquarters and party papers" which stated: Yeh Chien-ying has been spreading propaganda over our rear areas about the Chinese Communist Party's good faith in seeking peace, while condemning the Government's military moves as showing a lack of good faith in seeking peace.
各报对此，必须依据下列各点从正面与侧面力加驳斥。”
#§ All our papers must emphatically refute this, directly and indirectly, in accordance with the following points.
这个《特别宣传指示》一连列举了好几点应当“驳斥”的理由。
#§The "Special Directive" gives quite a number of reasons why this "refutation" should be made:
“政府与其无条件投降，不如作战到底。”
#§Rather than surrender unconditionally, the Government should fight to the bitter end.
“毛泽东一月十四日声明所提八点为亡国条件，政府原不应接受。”
#§The eight terms Mao Tse-tung put forward in his January 14 statement would ruin the nation, and the Government should not have accepted them.
“中共应负破坏和平之责任。
#§The Communist Party of China should bear the responsibility for wrecking peace.
今日中共反而提出所谓战犯名单，将政府负责人士尽皆列入，更要求政府先行逮捕，其蛮横无理，显而易见。
#§ Instead, it has now drawn up a list of so-called war criminals which includes all the Government leaders and has even demanded that the Government first arrest them; this clearly shows how truculent and unreasonable the Communist Party is.
中共如不改变此种作风，则和平商谈之途径，势难寻觅。”
#§ Unless the Communist Party of China changes this behaviour, it will indeed be difficult to find a way to peace negotiations.
两星期以前那种如丧考妣地急着要谈判的神气，再也不见了。
#§There is no more of the pathetic anxiety for peace negotiations of two weeks ago.
所谓“缩短战争时间”，“减轻人民痛苦”，“以拯救人民为前提”这些传遍人间、沁人心脾的名句，再也不提了。
# §There is no further mention of those famous phrases, "shorten the duration of the war", "alleviate the sufferings of the people" and "treat the salvation of the people as the primary consideration", phrases which gladdened the heart and spread everywhere.
假如中共不愿意改变自己的“作风”，一定要惩办战争罪犯，那就不能谈和平了。
#§ If the Communist Party of China is unwilling to change its "behaviour" and insists on the punishment of the war criminals, then peace talks will be impossible.
究竟是以拯救人民为前提呢，还是以拯救战争罪犯为前提呢？
#§ Which, then, is the primary consideration -- the salvation of the people or the salvation of the war criminals?”
按照国民党英雄好汉的《特别宣传指示》，是选择了后者。
#§ According to the "Special Directive for Propaganda" issued by these heroes of the Kuomintang, they prefer the latter.
战争罪犯的名单，中共方面尚在向各民主党派人民团体征求意见中，现在已经收到了好几方面的意见。
#§ The Communist Party of China is still consulting the democratic parties and people's organizations about the list of war criminals, and opinions have now been received from several quarters.
根据这些已经收到的意见，都是不赞成去年十二月二十五日中共权威人士所提的那个名单。
#§ Judging by the opinions so far received, they all disapprove of the list put forward on December 25 last year by an authoritative person in the Communist Party of China.
他们认为那个名单所列战犯只有四十三个，为数太少；他们认为要负发动反革命战争屠杀数百万人民的责任的人决不止四十三个，而应当是一百几十个。
#§ They consider that a list containing the names of only forty-three war criminals is too short; they consider that those to be held responsible for launching the counter-revolutionary war and butchering several million people should certainly not be limited to forty-three, but should be well over a hundred.
现在姑且假定战犯将确定为一百几十个。
#§ For the time being, let us suppose that the number of war criminals will be set at well over a hundred.
那末，请问国民党的英雄好汉们，你们为什么要反对惩办战犯呢？
# §Then we should like to ask the heroes of the Kuomintang, why do you oppose the punishment of war criminals?”
你们不是愿意“缩短战争时间”“减轻人民痛苦”的吗？
# §Aren't you willing to "shorten the duration of the war" and "alleviate the sufferings of the people"?”
假如因为你们这一反对，使得战争还要打下去，岂非拖延时间，延长战祸？
# §If the war continues because of this opposition of yours, won't that be stalling for time and prolonging the disaster of war?”
“拖延时间，延长战祸”这八个字的罪名是你们在一九四九年一月二十六日以南京政府发言人的名义发出声明，加在共产党身上的，现在难道你们想收回去，写上招贴，挂在你们自己身上，以为荣耀吗？
# §"Stalling for time and prolonging the disaster of war" was the very accusation you made against the Communist Party of China in the statement issued in the name of the Nanking government spokesman on January 26, 1949; can it be that now you want to take it back, write it on a placard and hang it on yourselves as a badge of honour?” #§ You are men of infinite compassion and mercy, who profess to "treat the salvation of the people as the primary consideration".
你们是“以拯救人民为前提”的大慈大悲的人们，为什么一下子又改成以拯救战犯为前提了呢？
#§ Then why do you suddenly change and treat the salvation of the war criminals as the primary consideration?”