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University Daily Kansan Monday, May 10, 1965
Prof Studies Red Moves During China Take-over
Living in Peking, China as a student and serving as a wire service foreign correspondent from 1946 to 1949. Robert A. Burton, assistant professor and acting chairman of Oriental Languages and Literature at KU, sat on the sidelines watching the political wrestling match between the Nationalist and the Communist governments of China.
Burton is the director of the KU Eastern Civilizations program.
CHINA WAS a country in chaos, Burton said. There was no central organization, and there was political disorder with a breakdown of government on all levels. People were starving by the hundreds of thousands.
Although there was much suffering among the peasants, he continued, there was still an immense vitality among the literate people who were eager an dable to do well in almost anything they addressed themselves to.
However, such prosperity belonged to the minority of the population, he said.
The Nationalist regime collapsed in the war with the Communists because of ineffective administration, economic chaos, civil war and destruction suffered in the war with Japan, Burton said. The economy, for example, was very unstable. Currency inflation would make a U.S. dollar worth about $700,000 one morning and about $900,000 that same evening.
IN 1947, Burton became a United Press foreign correspondent. He covered the civil war in Manchuria and Mongolia and intervewed such dignitaries as Chiang Kai-Shek.
"Actually I did not get on the battle ifeld for on-the-spot coverage" he said. "The Nationalist government did not let any of us reporters get that close. Many of us
believed that it was because they were not doing well in the war with the Communists and didn't want the word to get out."
Burton's work as a reporter exposed him to an almost fatal experience when he was covering a student demonstration. ...
It happened in May of 1948, Burton said eying the ceiling. Times were restless and the civil war was in high swing. Although the main fighting was done in the north, it had much influence in the south.
STUDENTS at that time were very active in demonstrations, he said, they constantly demonstrated for various causes. About 5,000 students were told by the Communists that there were Communist-built universities waiting for them in Peking.
The students came to Peking to study, Burton continued, but when they arrived, they found no one who knew them o what they were talking about. Furthermore there were no schools waiting for them. The students lived in temples and old vacant establishments as they wandered in utter disappointment.
One day the students had a big demonstration protesting their mistreatment. Troops were sent to cover the demonstration and to make sure it was peaceful. The troops were ordered to go unarmed but the military leader in charge of the troops disobeyed.
Burton was on the front line of the students as they were demonstrating. The troops fired on the students and 13 fell dead.
"ONE STUDENT. on my right was killed immediately," Burton said. "The student on my left died in my arms. I wrote a story about the assacre while blood was still on my clothes."
Eventually the Communist Chinese took over northern China and moved south where they drove the Nationalists from the mainland. I left in 1949. Burton said.
BURTON WENT to Hong Kong after he left China. There he continued as a reporter with American Consulate General as well as doing research work in his specialty, the history of the Communist Party in China.
There is not much documentation on the Chinese Communist party and its history, Burton said. Many of its important years while they were in the underground in Shanghai were not documented.
The emphasis in that particular raea is on the Party today, he continued. There are some organizations, however, that have managed to get some documents on its history.
Pre-Med Students To Attend Program
The annual Pre-Med Day for students interested in the medical field will start at 9 a.m. Saturday in the KU Medical Center's student union.
Dr. John E. Chapman, chairman of admissions, said, "Pre-Med day is a day-long program designed to acquaint pre-medical students from area colleges with career opportunities in medicine and to allow them to see methods used in teaching medical students."
Luncheon will be served, after which students may visit with medical students. They will also meet with members of the admissions committee to discuss admission requirements, applications, interviews and acceptance methods of medical schools.
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NOTICE
The Jayhawker Advisory Board welcomes applications for the Editorship and Business Managership
of
The 1965-66 Jayhawker
The magazine-yearbook of the University of Kansas.
Any University of Kansas student may apply. The positions are salaried.
Applications must be submitted to: Mr. Raymond Nichols Chairman, Jayhawker Advisory Board Office of the Chancellor Strong Hall
By 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 18, 1965.
Details of applications or the responsibilities of the positions may be obtained from:
Mr. Tom Yoe
Faculty Adviser
32 Strong Hall
WHAT IS BLUEGRASS? WHO ARE "THE DILLARDS"？
Bluegrass . . . it's American and much of it is used in folk songs today and it's essential to every Hootenanny.
"The Dillards" are a group of four young men who play a banjo, a mandolin, a guitar, a bass, and other instruments. They are hilariously funny in addition to being excellent musicians.
SEE AND HEAR THEM AT THE FREE SUA CONCERT
7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, MAY 13—HOCH AUDITORIUM