解放军报专题

FAITH IN VICTORY IS DERIVED FROM STRUGGLE*

(October 20,1965)

　　You have put up a good fight, both in the south and in the north. People the world over are supporting you, including those who have awakened and some of those who have not yet awakened. The present world is not one of peace and tranquillity, but that is not because you Vietnamese or we Chinese have invaded the U.S.

　　Not long ago the Japanese newspapers Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun carried several reports sent back from South Vietnam by Japanese correspondents. American papers called these reports unjust, thus instigating a debate. What I have mentioned is not the Akahata of the Japanese Communist Party, but Japan's bourgeois newspapers. It can be seen that public opinion is unfavorable to the U.S. Demonstrations by the American people, mainly the intellectuals at present, against the Vietnamese policy of the U.S. government have been developing.

　　However, these are external conditions; settlement of the issue still depends on your fighting. Of course, it can also be achieved through negotiation. There were negotiations in Geneva, but the Americans didn't keep their word afterward. We likewise had negotiations with Chiang Kai-shek and the U.S. Rusk once said that the U.S. and China have held the most numerous negotiations. But we stick to one point, that is, the U.S. must withdraw from Taiwan; other questions aren't difficult to solve. The U.S. doesn't agree. The ten years of negotiations between China and the U.S. still harp on the same issue. We will not concede on this. The U.S. suggested exchanging visits of a press delegation with us. It said we could start with minor things, then solve the major questions. We insisted that we ought to begin with the major questions; the minor ones will not be difficult.

　　Formerly you evacuated you armed forces from the south in accordance with the Geneva agreement. In consequence, the enemy there killed at

　　random, so you reengaged in armed struggle. At the beginning, you put political struggle before armed struggle. We agreed with you. At the second stage you carried on political struggle in parallel with armed struggle. This we also agreed with. At the third stage you put armed struggle first with political struggle as auxiliary. We further agreed with you. As I see it, as the enemy escalates the war, you escalate your fighting as well. You may have a little difficulty in the next two or three Years, but it's hard to say; things may not be this way. At any rate, this factor must be taken into consideration. If you have made all preparations, you won't be too far from the original estimate, even if the most difficult situation occurs. Isn't that fine? Therefore, what is basic is: One, strive for the best and two, prepare for the worst.

　　You may refer to the experience of Algeria. When the war there was going into its fourth or fifth year, some leaders began to worry about it. Prime Minister Abbas came to me, saying that Algeria had a rather small population, only ten million, among whom one minion had already been killed; the enemy maintained an army of 800,00 men, while their regular army was composed of merely 30,000 or 40,000-fewer than 100,000 men even if the guerrilla forces were included. I told them then that the enemy would surely collapse, and the population would grow if they persevered till victory. The French troops withdrew after negotiations, and they have now completed the withdrawal, leaving but a few naval bases. In Algeria it was a national democratic revolution led by the bourgeoisie. Both you and we are Communists, and concerning the questions of mobilizing the masses and carrying out a people's war, Algeria is different from you and us.

　　Some specific questions in connection with a people's war that I mentioned in my writings are affairs of 10 or 20 years ago. You are meeting new situations at present, so a lot of your ways of dealing with them are and ought to be different from ours in the past. We learned how to fight step by step and frequently suffered defeat in the beginning; it was not so smooth as for you.

　　I haven't yet taken note of what questions you are going to discuss with the U.S. I heed only how to fight the Americans and how to expel them. You may negotiate with them at a certain time, but you ought not to lower your tone; always keep it at a high key. You must be prepared to be deceived by the enemy.

　　We support you to win final victory. Faith in victory is derived from fighting, from struggle. For instance, the Americans are subject to attack and this experience can be gained only through fighting them. The Americans are subject to attack, I said, and they can be defeated. We must break down that sort of myth, that the Americans cannot be attacked or defeated. We both have had a lot of experience. Both you and we fought the Japanese; you also fought the French, and now you are fighting the Americans.

　　The Americans have trained and educated the Vietnamese people, and they have likewise educated us and people the world over. In my opinion, it would be no good without the Americans; it is necessary to have this teacher. One must learn from the Americans if one wants to defeat them. The works of Marx didn't teach us how to fight the Americans, nor did Lenin's books. We chiefly learn from the Americans.

　　The Chinese people and the peoples of the whole world are supporting you. The more friends, the better.

　　*This is the major part of Mao Zedong's talk with a Party and government delegation from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

　(From the verbatim record)