Chapter 19 Moscow Communist International Congress 1957

Journalist: “Khrushchev defeated a palace coup?”

Mao: “Yes, in June 1957, the Soviet Communist Party occurred in June event Molotov, Malinkov and other coup to Khrushchev to step down, the Presidium to 7:4 exempt Khrushchev first secretary. Khrushchev prevailed, the situation was urgent, he rushed to make a review delay, deliberately review a long review, not yet finished, the next day and then meet. In the evening Khrushchev urgently sought out Defense Minister Zhukov. Zhukov support, military aircraft sent 200 central committee continued to open 8 days of the Central Committee plenary meeting, 60 people spoke, blaming Molotov and other anti-party, expelled them from the Presidium. The majority of the Central Committee members supported Khrushchev, and Zhukov also spoke strongly in support. Molotov and others were branded as an anti-Party group and were expelled from the Presidium. Molotov was relegated to Mongolia as an ambassador.”

Journalist: “Khrushchev wanted your support?”

Mao: “Yes, Khrushchev got through the crisis and asked for international support, and most of Eastern Europe watched and only two countries showed their support. I just stayed silent. So anxious that Khrushchev sent Mikoyan. I was on the loose in Hangzhou, and on July 5 Mikoyan came to Hangzhou to see me, and I just had to put up a front so that he would have to beg me and talk for eight hours. I said that the Molotov incident was a 9-magnitude earthquake, but I said that the anti-Party case was not enough, it was a matter of ideological understanding. Anti-Party incident for the third time seriously hit the prestige of the Soviet Communist Party. Now only what I, Mao Zedong, say is right. I first did not take a position; the Soviet Communist Party was anxious. I said: Molotov gave me a bad impression, very stubborn. I support the Soviet Communist Party resolution table, Mikoyan said completed the mission, death is also satisfied, see the weight of my words.

In fact, Molotov’s political views on Stalin were much closer to mine. At that time, I had only one way to support the Soviet Communist Party, because I was asking for Soviet economic aid. In fact, I could not not support, I have many projects waiting for his help. His domestic affairs, to say more is tantamount to interference in the internal affairs of the country, it can not be said. As soon as I said I supported it, Mikoyan was happy to go back and report. I also issued a statement.”

Journalist: “Oh, you want the Soviet Union to help with the project, of course you support Khrushchev?”

Mao: “Yes. November 1957 was the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution in the Soviet Union, and Khrushchev wanted to hold an international communist congress to celebrate it, inviting more than 60 parties to attend and express their unity, inviting me to go. I don’t take a stand. I could not just go to support him. Later he understood that I had to give something before I could go. The agreement was signed in October, and Khrushchev was very generous, giving a lot of things, and I was very satisfied.”

Journalist: “You wanted Khrushchev to give atomic bomb technology and military industrial projects before you went to Moscow for the meeting?”

Mao: “Yes. Khrushchev was relieved to have my support for his anti-party group’s decision and relied on me even more to prepare for the World Communist Congress.

Stalin refused to help me with nuclear weapons, but Khrushchev gave them to me, and I went to Moscow in 1957 only after he had decided to help me develop nuclear weapons. The atomic bomb was the treasure I had dreamed of for years, and I decided to deploy 2,000 scientific and technical cadres and 5,000 skilled workers to work on atomic energy research, and in October I set up the Missile Research Institute with Qian Xuesen as its director, with 10 research laboratories under it, and I made a statement of support for Khrushchev on the Soviet coup in June, so that he decided to give me nuclear technology, and he was very generous. In 1958, 20 atomic development bases were built one after another, and 21 nuclear test sites were built.

At the end of 1957, two trains of 60 wagons from the Soviet Union brought P-2 missiles and ground equipment to the northeast, and 100 experts came with the group to teach a three-month study course, and 100 officers and soldiers came with them.

Peng Dehuai said, ‘This is the big brother of the Soviet Union passed on to our son.’ In October 1959, we used these missiles to shoot down a Kuomintang high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, and although these missiles were discontinued equipment of the Soviet Union, they were second or third rate, but they were precious to me.

Journalist: “You went to Moscow for the communist congress and took Song Qingling with you?”

Mao: “Yes, I was very happy when the first Soviet satellite was launched on October 4, 1957, and I asked Khrushchev for the satellite technology, and on November 2, I flew to Moscow in two planes sent by the Soviet Union. I especially brought two non-Party people, Song Qingling and Guo Moruo, which was out of order according to the Communist Party rules, and I didn’t dare to do so with Stalin in. Now Khrushchev is not in my eyes, I want to put on my show, I want to bring who I say, and did not tell him in advance. When I arrived in Moscow, Khrushchev had no choice but to praise Song Qingling. He welcomed me at the airport, reviewed the honor guard of the three armies, and shouted to me ‘Ulla! Ulla! Ulla!’ I was very happy to hear the hail of the mountains. I had the wonderful feeling that I was the only one in the world who was calling out to me.”

Journalist: “Oh, you went to a communist congress and deliberately brought non-party members Song Qingling, Guo Moruo, to show that you had the say?”

Mao: “Yes. The International Communist Congress in Moscow in November 1957 was the peak of cooperation between Mao and Khrushchev, with mutual compromises: I insisted on the slogan ‘Soviet Union first.’ The documents of the conference were much revised and changed, but I was ‘mainly protective and vocal’ toward the Soviet Union, seeking common ground while reserving differences. I arrived early for the draft declaration. Khrushchev spoke of peaceful transition, I stressed armed struggle, the French Communist Party favored armed struggle, the Italian Communist Party stressed parliamentary struggle, and the British Communist Party did the same. I proposed two possibilities, a compromise for all parties to accept, resulting in one manifesto for the 12 socialist countries and one Peace Manifesto for the 64 communist parties. Khrushchev emphasized peaceful coexistence and peaceful contest, I emphasized the danger of war, and the Chinese experience was the armed seizure of power.

‘With the Soviet Union as the leader?’ This is my superficial slogan, I think Khrushchev is not experienced enough, Marx and Lenin level is not high, in Eastern Europe stirred up a lot of ‘trouble.’ but I have to rely on Soviet economic, technological, arms aid, but also to support him.

‘The Soviet Union is the leader,’ and behind my back to ‘condescending’ attitude, the role of the guide to say things, to ‘defend the Soviet Union.’ Khrushchev said pragmatically: ‘Let’s take the Soviet Union as the leader,’ I said: ‘I can’t afford this responsibility’ (I have no money and the economy was bad), the big brother is to take money and make efforts, it is not good to be a big brother, or the Soviet Union is the strongest, I said: ‘The snake can’t move without a head.’ We are a big country politically and a small country economically.’ Khrushchev shouted: ‘Only you are allowed to accuse us, not allow us to criticize you, and what to say that the Soviet Union is the head? I said I have no respect for the Soviet Communist Party, this is to say the heart of the Soviet Communist Party.

Hey, in 1957 I was at the International Communist Congress, pointing the finger, I became the central figure, I lived exclusively in the Kremlin, Khrushchev gave me a special wooden bed, the toilet changed to squatting. The whole room gave me a standing ovation when I moved out. On November 18, I spoke at length at the General Assembly, blowing out that ‘the east is overwhelming the west,’ that the east is bright and the west is dark, that capitalism is behind socialism, that the Soviet Union is controlling two artificial satellites in the sky, but Khrushchev spoke privately, repeatedly expressing his disagreement, that The U.S. should not be underestimated, and he did not want to sharpen the tension between the East and the West, and I stressed that there was no need to worry about tension.

I spoke at the General Assembly, suddenly inserted a paragraph about the evaluation of the Molotov group, I said that Molotov is an old comrade, has a long history of struggle, I said not handled well, there is a ‘danger of chaos.’ I was lecturing the Soviet Communist Party, I came to give a verdict. I publicly disclosed the inner workings of the Soviet Communist Party at the congress, embarrassing the Soviet Communist Party and apparently indicating that I had a different view on the expulsion of Molotov, and the congress was dead silent at this point, with Mikoyan demonstratively rising from his chair and protesting against me, his gaze directed at me and the Chinese. I freely commented on the divisions and contradictions within the Soviet Communist Party at the international congress, and I became a supreme emperor over all the party, giving all the Communist Party delegates the impression that I was the chief.

The most controversial thing I said was the thesis of nuclear war. Novotny, the first secretary of the Czech Communist Party, said: China has 600 million people and is ready to die 300 million, and we in the Czech Republic have only 12 million people, and the general secretary of the Israeli Communist Party said that I was just enthusiastic about World War 3, to level the imperialists and to unify the world with the Communists. I said the world’s 2.7 billion people may die 1/3, and half more, there are still half of the people, the imperialism leveled, the world communist, fight the war and then build, I am ready to stop the construction, first than the force, the Soviet Communist Party criticized me to engage in military conflict, using military means to solve the conflict with capitalism.

My intention was to approve peaceful coexistence as a general line, and I was supporting the world revolution in exchange for the demise of imperialism.

I talked with Khrushchev privately about the future war, and I said: ‘If imperialism attacks you, don’t fight back, retreat all the way to the Urals, and I will help you then, which dazzled Khrushchev and he didn’t know what to say.

I told the Soviet Union to take the lead, I was the general director, Khrushchev led the lead actor, and I was behind the scenes pointing the way. In addition, I want the Soviet Union to help the economy, help technology, and also called him big brother, when the head when the boss, we must help the little brother well, so that he can not say anything.” I am behind the curtain to listen to the government, relaxed, told him to perform in the front. I do not need to go to the front. I said people can’t grow two heads.

It was my turn to speak at the International Communist Congress. The delegates of other countries had their speeches and handed in their scripts first. I didn’t want a script, I wanted to speak extemporaneously. I wanted to sit still and speak from my seat while others were on the podium to show that I was different. Speaking of nuclear war deaths, I said the world’s 2.7 billion people, maybe 1/3 of the loss, and then maybe half, half dead, and half, the imperialists leveled, the world socialist.”

Journalist: “You speak do not engage sub, show that you are different? You will be the world revolution, also half of the people also worth?”

Mao: “Yes, I speak of this, the whole room shocked, said I want war, dead people do not care.

I also refuted want to improve the lives of the people, I said poor is good, the poorer the more revolutionary. But very few people responded to me.”

Journalist: “No one responded to your call for a world revolution?”

Mao: “Yes, no one responded. I also mentioned at the congress that Molotov, who had just been branded as an anti-Party, said he was an old comrade with a long history of struggle. One noticed that Khrushchev stood up at once, stared at me for a minute, and then left the room. But he didn’t mention anything after that for the sake of unity. At the International Congress, I spoke about the internal affairs of the Soviet Union, which caused great discontent in the Soviet Communist Party.”

Journalist: “You dared to praise the opposition Molotov, didn’t you give Khrushchev a slap in the face? Are you trying to show: I am the supreme international communist leader? I can comment on Soviet affairs at will?”

Mao: “Yes. When it comes to who should be the leader, Khrushchev proposed that the Soviet Union should be the leader, but I insisted that the Soviet Union should be the leader, not that I did not want to be the leader. I understand that the Soviet Union has the atomic bomb, the United States is afraid of him, not me, I do not have the atomic bomb. I don’t have an atomic bomb. I want Khrushchev to be the head, in front of the support, and I will be the director behind the scenes, the final decision is mine.”

Journalist: “Oh, you understand that without something in hand, being the head is empty?”

Mao: “Yes. I returned to Beijing, the original preparation for family planning, I decided to cancel. I think it is better to have more children, people are capital, prepare for atomic war more deaths.”

Journalist: “Oh, you do not want family planning, is ready to fight atomic war, more people are not afraid to die?”

Mao: “Yes, I found afterwards, I was in Moscow Assembly of the faction, but only to pass the addiction of the communist king himself, the actual effect is very poor, few responders. Peaceful competition, peaceful transition, is the world trend. I am enthusiastic about war, not much market.”