(October 26 and November 8, 1971)
Mao Zedong (hereinafter referred to as Mao): Little Tang, (2)
Miss Nancy Tang, your country has failed, what are you going to do?
Zhou Enlai (hereinafter referred to as Zhou): The Chairman
originally instructed... (3)
Mao: That is old news, it doesn't count.
Zhou: We just had a meeting and we all thought that the UN
General Assembly resolved the issue cleanly and thoroughly without any
sequelae. It was just that we were unprepared, especially since the Security
Council was more troublesome. If we participated now, it would not be in line
with the Chairman’s teaching of “not fighting a battle without preparation.” I
came up with an idea on the spur of the moment and asked Xiong Xianghui (4) to
take a few people to the United Nations as advance personnel to understand the
situation on the spot and make preparations.
Mao: That is not necessary. Didn’t the Secretary-General of
the United Nations send a telegram? We will send a delegation. Let Mr. Qiao (5)
be the head of the delegation and Xiong Xianghui be the representative. They
will come back after the meeting. We also need to receive Nixon (5). You can
study who to send to the Security Council.
Zhou: Let Huang Hua be the deputy head of the delegation and
stay in the United Nations as the permanent representative to the Security
Council.
Mao: Huang Hua has been the ambassador to Canada for less
than four months. If he is transferred now, they may not be happy.
Zhou: Do some work and the Canadian government will
understand.
Mao: Okay, let’s do it.
Mao: This year, there were two major victories, one was Lin
Biao and the other was the United Nations. I did not expect these two major
victories. I was aware that Lin Biao was playing tricks, but I did not expect
him to go abroad, and I did not expect that the "Trident" plane he
was riding would crash in Outer Mongolia and "sink into the sand". My
head nurse (8) is an expert on the United Nations. She has studied the
proposals of countries like Albania. These days, she often tells me: The United
Nations can pass it; I say: It cannot pass; she says: It can; I say: It cannot.
You see, she is right after all. I still have so much superstition about the
baton of the United States.
Britain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, and Italy
all became "Red Guards" and rebelled against the United States,
voting for us in the United Nations. Portugal also became a "Red
Guard". Among European countries, only Malta voted against, while Greece,
Luxembourg, and Franco's Spain (9) abstained. Except for these four countries,
all voted in favor. Nineteen Asian countries and twenty-six African countries
voted in favor. Latin America is the "backyard" of the United States,
and only Cuba and Chile have established diplomatic relations with us. This
time, seven countries voted for us. The fire in the "backyard" of the
United States is a big deal. Among the 131 member states, there were 76 votes
in favor, 17 abstentions, and only 35 votes against. When the voting results
were announced, there was singing, cheering, and some people slammed the table.
What does slamming the table mean? (Zhou Enlai explained: slamming the table in
the meeting hall expresses extreme happiness.) So many countries welcome us, it
would be unreasonable not to send a delegation. There are also people who are
unhappy, and "Chairman Chiang" is the first one. The US State
Department said it would issue a statement, but I haven't seen it yet. It's
just a "condolence letter".
What should we do if we are totally unprepared? I have said
that we should not fight a war without preparation. I have also said that we
should learn war in war. Now please let the Prime Minister take charge and make
preparations as soon as possible. The most important thing is to prepare for
the first speech at the United Nations General Assembly. (10)
In 1950, we were still in the "Huaguo Mountain
era". At that time, you (11) and Wu Xiuquan (12) went to the United
Nations. Wu Xiuquan gave a speech at the Security Council entitled
"Accusing the United States of Armed Invasion of China's Territory
Taiwan". Accusing means filing a complaint, accusing the "Jade
Emperor". At that time, the "Jade Emperor" was very arrogant and
did not take us seriously. Now it is different. The "Jade Emperor"
will also visit Huaguo Mountain. This time you are not going to file a
complaint, but to uphold justice, to boost the morale of the people of the
world, and to destroy the prestige of the superpower. Shout out support for
countries that oppose foreign interference, aggression, and control.
The first speech should show this spirit.
First, we need to settle accounts. For so many years, we
have not been allowed to join the United Nations. The Chinese people and the
people of the world are angry. The main reason is the United States, followed
by Japan. We must name them. We must list the sponsors one by one.
Second, we need to talk about the changes in the world
situation since the establishment of the United Nations. It is what I said in
the "Communiqué" (13) with Kissinger this time, "Countries want
independence, nations want liberation, and the people want revolution. This has
become an irresistible historical trend." We need to talk about some
history. The American War of Independence in 1776, the French Revolution in
1789, and the October Revolution in 1917 in Russia are all great. But none of
them have been as large as those since 1945. We should talk about China,
self-reliance, hard work, overthrowing the three mountains, achieving national
independence, national liberation, and victory in the new democratic
revolution. This is not bragging, but a fact. The purpose is to encourage the
people of the world. The United States must withdraw its armed forces from
Taiwan. No matter who wants to separate Taiwan from China, it is wishful
thinking.
Third, we need to talk about our basic attitude towards
international issues. Many of the words we said in our discussion with
Kissinger on the communiqué can be used. We oppose the imperialist war and
aggression policies, oppose the hegemonism of the superpowers, and support the
just struggles of all oppressed peoples and oppressed nations. The struggles of
the people of all countries support each other. We need to publicize the Five
Principles: all countries, big or small, are equal; China belongs to the Third
World and will never be a superpower; we oppose big countries bullying small
countries and strong countries bullying weak countries; and we do not allow any
country to manipulate the United Nations.
What else do I want to say? Please consider it. In short, we
must have a clear-cut banner, "a high-profile leadership", and
"unstoppable force". "Unstoppable force" was said by Du Yu,
the "chief of the three armies" of Sima Yan, the emperor of the Jin
Dynasty. He was known as "Zuo Zhuan Ci". He led his troops to occupy
Wuchang and prepared to attack Jianye, the capital of the Eastern Wu. A
"second-rate" staff officer suggested to him that the Yangtze River
was flooded now, so he should wait until next year to fight. Du Yu said:
"Now the army is powerful, like a bamboo breaking momentum, after a few
sections, all problems will be solved easily, and there will be no more
opportunities." As expected, it was a success, and "the three-part
world was unified". When writing an article, you must use
"unstoppable force" to convince people.
Cao Cao was a great military strategist. Zhuge Liang praised
him in "The Second Expedition to the Emperor": "Cao Cao's wisdom
and strategy are unique, and his use of troops is like Sun Wu's." At the
same time, he also criticized him for losing battles. How did he criticize him?
Please tell me.
(Ye Jianying: trapped in Jianyang, in danger in Wuchao,
forced in Liyang, almost defeated in Beishan, and almost died in Tongguan.)
The "almost defeated in Beishan" refers to Cao
Cao's fight for Hanzhong after Xiahou Yuan died in battle. "The Second
Expedition to the Emperor" mentions Xiahou Yuan three times, and the other
two are "Xiahou was defeated" and "Xiahou was beheaded".
Xiahou Yuan was one of Cao Cao's generals. Cao Cao appointed
him as the General of the Western Expedition and the "Security
Commander" of Hanzhong. When Liu Bei attacked Hanzhong, Xiahou Yuan
deployed the main force at Dingjun Mountain and ordered Zhang He to defend the
East Encirclement. Liu Bei "lured the snake out of its hole" and
attacked Zhang He first. Xiahou Yuan divided half of his troops to personally
assist Zhang He, but was beheaded by Huang Zhong. There is a Peking opera
called "Dingjun Mountain", which is the specialty of Tan Xinpei and
Tan Fuying. (14) You can take a look at the biography of Xiahou Yuan in
"Book of Wei". At the beginning, Xiahou Yuan won several battles. Cao
Cao wrote a letter to remind him: "When you are a general, you should be
timid and not just rely on courage. A general should take courage as the basis
and act with wisdom; if you only know how to rely on courage, you will be no
match for a common man." "When you are timid" means that you
should think about your weaknesses and shortcomings, and there is a possibility
of defeat. Xiahou Yuan did not take Cao Cao's warning seriously, and the whole
army was annihilated. You will face many difficulties when you go to the United
Nations. You must be brave and pay attention to the fact that you may be timid.
The head of the delegation is the general. Don't be blinded by victory. I will
give you two sentences. One is "No investigation, no right to speak"
and the other is "Humility makes people progress, pride makes people fall
behind."
Our policy in the United Nations is to "unite the
majority and isolate the minority". The 23 proposing countries are our
friends in need, and we must unite with them. We must also unite with the other
54 countries that voted in favour of us. We must treat the 17 countries that
abstained correctly. Under such great pressure from the United States, they did
not support the United States and expressed their sympathy for us by abstaining
from voting. We should thank them. The 35 countries that voted against are not
a monolithic entity, and we must also work on them. Unity is principled unity,
and principles are our basic position on international issues. Our current
slogan is: safeguard the independence and sovereignty of all countries, safeguard
international peace, and promote human progress. Use this slogan to unite the
majority.
2
Mao: "Without investigation, there is no right to
speak." This was said to dogmatists. I still think this sentence is
correct. Don't be biased in your understanding of this sentence. Objective
things are constantly developing and changing, and people's understanding can
never keep up with this change. Understanding always lags behind reality. If
you require that everything be investigated before speaking or doing things,
then you will never be able to speak or do anything. Once you understand the
main situation and the essential situation, you can make a judgment and make up
your mind. I have always opposed people who talk a lot when they get off the
train. Such people are not good enough to do things, but they are more likely
to cause trouble. They think they are great and only want to be teachers, not
students. Some people have fought in the war and have some merits, or they
think they have some merits. They keep thinking about their merits when they
eat, shit, sleep, and dream. If you say that he has no merits, he will say that
even if he has no merits, he has worked hard; even if he has no hard work, he
has also been tired. This is low taste. In recent years, the thinking of some
people in the army has been messed up by Lin Biao. The Jinan Military Region
proposed "Anti-arrogance and undermining the fullness of the people"
which is a good idea. I will let the whole army learn from it. I have often
said recently that the army should be cautious. This is a targeted move. This
year we won a great victory at the United Nations. This victory was mainly won
by our foreign friends. We have no reason to be proud of ourselves. Now we are
"not living up to our reputation". So I say "a general should be
timid sometimes". Or "three cobblers are better than one Zhuge
Liang". We should discuss things and make more plans and make good
decisions. Don't be like Yuan Shao who "made many plans but made few
decisions" and even more so, "made no plans but made decisions".
Being cautious does not mean being overly cautious. When you see something, say
it when you should and do it when you should.
We must establish a united front in the United Nations. This
is an international united front, which is similar to and different from the
domestic united front. The fundamental difference is that the domestic united
front is a united front of different classes, and the proletariat must take the
lead; the international united front is a united front of different countries,
and there is no question of who leads whom. All countries, big or small, are
equal, and no one should lead anyone, and no one should listen to anyone else's
leadership. In the past, we said that the Soviet Union should be the leader
because it is the big brother. In order to deal with imperialism, we let it
take the lead when necessary and let it be the chairman during meetings. But it
wants to take the lead and establish a father-son party and a father-son
country, which is completely wrong. The United States always wants other
countries to listen to it, which is hegemony. Hegemony should be overthrown. Therefore,
in establishing an international united front, we must negotiate on an equal
footing. We must never regard ourselves as a big country and act arrogantly,
and we must never interfere in other people's internal affairs, and we must
never have the idea of leading others.
You can rest assured when you go to the United Nations this
time. My "close comrade-in-arms" is gone. Do the comrades present
know this?
Zhou: We haven't told them yet. After the Chairman finished
speaking, we went to the Great Hall to read the document (15) to them and
introduce the relevant situation. "May 7th" is a homonym of
"armed uprising". This is the program of the Lin Biao
counter-revolutionary group to plot to assassinate the Chairman and launch a
counter-revolutionary coup.
Mao: Read this to them later. Print and distribute the full
text to all Party branches across the country as soon as possible.
Zhou: It is full of malicious slander against the Chairman.
How can it be printed? Mao: Why not? Do not change a single word. Distribute it
verbatim so that all Party members and the masses know it.
Mao: Security is very important. Everyone should live
together when they go there.
Mao: (To Zhou Enlai) Immediately send a telegram to Huang
Zhenchuan's assistant and ask him to tell Kissinger that the US government must
guarantee the safety of our delegation while it is in the United States. If
there is any problem, only the US government will be held responsible.
(1) This is Mao Zedong's conversation with relevant comrades
after my country resumed its seat in the United Nations. The first part of this
article is the conversation between Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying,
Tang Wensheng, Ji Pengfei, Qiao Guanhua, Xiong Xianghui, Zhang Wenjin, and Wang
Hairong on October 26, 1971; the second part of this article is the conversation
between Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, Ji Pengfei, Qiao Guanhua, Fu Hao, Xiong
Xianghui, Chen Chu, Tang Mingzhao, An Zhiyuan, Wang Hairong, Tang Wensheng,
Zhang Wenjin, and Ambassador to France Huang Zhen and Ambassador to the Soviet
Union Liu Xinquan who returned to China to report on their work at 8 pm on
November 8, 1971.
(2) Xiao Tang refers to Tang Wensheng, who was born in
Brooklyn, New York, USA. Tang Wensheng and Wang Hairong were important
translators of Mao Zedong in his later years.
(3) From July 9 to 11, 1971, US Secretary of State Henry
Kissinger, who was on a secret visit to China, told Zhou Enlai that President
Nixon had decided that the United States would support the People's Republic of
China in obtaining seats in the United Nations and the Security Council (UNSC)
this year, but would not agree to expel Taiwan from the United Nations. When
Zhou Enlai reported this to Mao Zedong, Mao Zedong said: We will never board
the "pirate ship" of "two Chinas". China will survive and
develop as usual without joining the United Nations. We are determined not to
join the United Nations this year, no matter if it is a magpie or a crow.
(4) Xiong Xianghui, then Zhou Enlai's assistant. A famous
ace spy in the history of our party, originally named Xiong Huiquan, was born
in Ye County, Shandong Province (now Laizhou City) with his ancestral home in
Fengyang, Anhui Province. He graduated from the Chinese Department of Tsinghua
University. In 1937, he was instructed by Zhou Enlai to infiltrate the
Kuomintang Hu Zongnan's army. From March 1939 to May 1947, he served as Hu
Zongnan's aide-de-camp and confidential secretary, becoming Hu Zongnan's confidant,
responsible for handling confidential documents and daily affairs, and drafting
speeches: Mao Zedong praised Xiong Xianghui, saying that he could replace
several divisions. After the founding of New China, he engaged in diplomatic
work.
(5) Master Qiao refers to Gu Guanhua, who was then the Vice
Minister of Foreign Affairs. The name "Master Qiao" originated from
the 1960s comedy film "Master Qiao Goes to the Sedan".
(6) Nixon, then President of the United States.
(7) Huang Hua was then China's ambassador to Canada.
(8) Refers to Wu Xujun, Mao Zedong's head nurse, who worked
with Mao Zedong for 21 years from 1953 to 1974, fulfilling her duties
conscientiously and dedicatedly, staying on the front line of caring for Mao
Zedong day and night, and also doing some work as a secretary for international
affairs.
