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(December 18, I970)
I
welcome Nixon's winning the election. Why? There is
a deceptive side of him as well, but there is less
of it. Do you believe it? He is accustomed to use
hard tactics, but sometimes also soft ones. If he
wishes to come to Beijing, please tell him he should
do it secretly, not openly-just get on a plane and
come. It doesn't matter whether negotiations succeed
or fail. Why should we maintain such a deadlock? However,
there is no secret in the United States. If the president
goes abroad, it is impossible to keep it secret. In
coming to China, he is sure to declare his aim is
to draw in China in order to make things difficult
for the Soviet Union. Hence he does not dare to act
this way at present. To punish the Soviet Union is
disadvantageous to the U.S., and to punish China is
equally disadvantageous.
One
of our policies now is refusing to let Americans visit
China. Is this policy correct? The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs should study it. Leftists, moderates and rightists
should all be approved to come to China. Why the rightists?
That is to say Nixon, who represents the monopoly
capitalists. The reason is that the moderates and
leftists are unable to solve any problem, and right
now we must straighten things out with Nixon. We have
to let him come as a matter of course.
He
long ago wrote letters saying he would send a representative
to China, which we didn't publish in order to keep
them secret. He was not interested in the Warsaw talks
and wished to negotiate with us personally. Therefore
I say I am ready to hold talks with him if he is willing
to come. It doesn't matter if the negotiations succeed
or fail, if we quarrel or not, if he comes in the
capacity of a tourist or the President. In short,
either way will do. I don't think I shall quarrel
with him, except to give him some criticism. We shall
likewise make self-criticism, i.e. admit our mistakes
and faults. For example, our production level is lower
than that of the U.S., but nothing else.
It
was proposed by Nixon himself that he send a representative
to China for negotiations. Documents prove that he
would like to negotiate in person either in Beijing
or in Washington, without the knowledge of our Ministry
of Foreign Affairs or going through the State Department
in the U.S. It was extremely mysterious. It was not
to be made known. Such information was to be kept
top secret.
The
U.S. will hold general elections in 1972. I reckon
Nixon won't come himself, but may send someone to
China during the first half of the year. If he wants
to talk with us, that would be the time. He is reluctant
to give up Taiwan while Chiang Kai-shek is still alive.
What does he have to do with Taiwan? Taiwan's present
situation was created by Truman and Acheson and followed
by another President; only then did Nixon have any
share in the Taiwan question. Then come Kennedy. Nixon
visited Taiwan as Vice-President. He said there were
more than ten million people in Taiwan, but I say
there are over one billion people in Asia and 300
million in Africa, all rising in rebellion.
China
and the U.S. will establish diplomatic relations sooner
or later. Will China and the U.S. remain for 100 years
without establishing relations? After al1, we haven't
occupied your Long Island!
*These
are excerpts from Mao Zedong's talk with Edgar Snow,
an American writer and a friend to China.
(From
the verbatim record)
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