Chapter 02 Gao Gang incident 1954

Journalist: “You are not in tune with Peng Dehuai? With Gao Gang?

Mao: “I resent Peng Dehuai, he disbanded the Zhongnanhai Cultural Troupe, opposed my dance, and in 1956 the 8th Congress echoed the abolition of ‘Mao Zedong Thought,’ I proposed Lin Biao (“Sick Marshal”) as Vice Chairman, as a spare tire, to check Peng.

Gao Gang and I were on the same page, and as early as 1936, when we arrived in Shaanxi Province during the Long March, I became brothers with him, and as he followed my socialist revolutionary theory, I promoted him to Beijing to replace Zhou Enlai and to counterbalance Liu Shaoqi. But unable to compete with ‘Liu Shaoqi’-’Zhou Enlai’-’Deng Xiaoping’-’Chen Yun,’ he had to give up. Gao Gang realized that he had been betrayed by me and committed suicide.”

Journalist: “What happened to the Gao Gang incident?”

Mao: “The Gao Gang incident in 1954 was a major event in my handling of the high-level power struggle. Gao Gang incident is complicated, the outside world until many years after my death, for party historians to clarify the circumstances, basically public. I have always been keeping it secret when it comes to the power struggle, I only told Jiang Qing that there is no politics if you talk about transparency. I only have a draft in my mind and never divulge it to a second person. I also have no friends. I have two friends in my youth, Xiao Zisheng and Cai Hesen, who were real friends, and they talked about everything, and they knew what was in their minds, so I can say they were completely transparent.”

Journalist: “Oh, you keep your politics secret and don’t tell the second person?”

Mao: “Yes, I went to Jinggang Mountain, a mind for power, from then on alone, no matter who is the deputy, are temporary, Liu Shaoqi, Lin Biao is also temporary. To deal with the issue of Gao Gang, involving a wide range of time, to start from the beginning.

Gao Gang is the beginning of the founding of the country, a newly risen political star. He was born in 1905, a native of Hengshan, Shaanxi province. he joined the party in 1926 and participated in the creation of the base areas in northern Shaanxi. in February 1935, he became vice chairman of the Northwest Revolutionary Military Committee and former.

In February 1935, he became Vice Chairman of the Northwest Revolutionary Military Committee and Political Commissar of the former Enemy General Command. After I arrived in Shaanxi, Gao Gang became secretary of the CCP North Shaanxi Provincial Committee in 1936, secretary of the CCP Northwest Bureau in 1941, and acting political commissar of the Shaanxi-Ganxi-Jinsui United Defense Army in 1942, joining the ranks of senior military and political leaders with commander He Long. With his seniority and age, he was ranked alongside Zhu De and Liu Shaoqi as Vice Chairman of the State, which was unexpected for the whole party. The explanation at the time was that Liu Zhidan, a representative of northern Shaanxi.

The explanation at that time was that Liu Zhidan and Xie Zichang, the representatives of northern Shaanxi, had been sacrificed, and Gao Gang was the one to count. In addition, because Gao Gang is a pro-Soviet faction, I want to ‘fall on one side,’ need to use Gao Gang, to unblock relations with Stalin.”

Journalist: “Oh, you are breaking the rules to reappoint Gao Gang?”

Mao: “Yes, when Gao Gang came to Xibaipo in 1948 to report on his work in the northeast, he had a vague feeling that there were differences of opinion within the Central Committee about the line of building the country. Gao Gang first heard from me, about my opinion of Liu Shaoqi. I think: Liu Shaoqi is not very stable, proposed a new stage of peace and democracy, and did not work on the army, etc. I criticized some comrades, not interested in working on socialism, enthusiastic about capitalist things, are alluding to Liu Shaoqi. Gao Gang has been in contact with me for more time and felt that I was not at ease with Liu Shaoqi; I was also not satisfied with Zhou Enlai’s work style of being tied up in affairs, not grasping major issues and accommodating all parties.”

Journalist: “Oh, you revealed to Gao Gang that the state was dissatisfied with Liu Shaoqi?”

Mao: “Yes, I said to Gao Gang: Liu Shaoqi into the city did not do much work, not much help to me; engage in decentralism, their own wholesale documents, trying to hollow me out; I talked about Liu Shaoqi thought out of step, stuck in the new democratic stage, no ideological preparation for socialism. If necessary, to push him, pull him away from socialism, really can not, it is necessary to let him move to the seat. Gao Gang felt the fierce struggle within the party, he consciously sided with me. I feel that Gao Gang’s thinking is more in line with me, and I am in tune, this is true. I revealed my dissatisfaction with Liu Shaoqi, but also had.”

Journalist: “Oh, Gao Gang collaborated with you?”

Mao: “Yes, in June 1949, I sent Liu Shaoqi, Gao Gang, Wang Jiaxiang group secretly visit the Soviet Union. Liu Shaoqi was the leader. To inform Stalin of the situation of the imminent victory of the Chinese revolution, the form ation of the coalition government, the new Chinese and foreign policies, request for Soviet assistance, and to discuss the relations between the two countries.

In the Kremlin, Stalin led the entire Politburo Committee to meet the Chinese Communist delegation. When Liu Shaoqi talked about the new government with ‘Mao Zedong as chairman, Zhou Enlai as premier, and Ren Bishi and I not participating in the government,’ Stalin interjected and asked, ‘What is the new government?’ Stalin interjected and asked, ‘What about Comrade Gao Gang? Is he going to participate in the government?’ Liu Shaoqi replied, ‘Comrade Gao Gang will take part in the government and will assume important leadership positions.’

Journalist: “Stalin was also very concerned about Gao Gang?”

Mao: “Yes, when Liu Shaoqi mentioned the loan, Stalin readily agreed to lend $300 million first and suggested forming a loan treaty drafting committee, saying, ‘On our side we have Mikoyan and Kovalev participating, what about your side?’ Liu Shaoqi said, ‘On our side, I myself, Comrade Gao Gang and Comrade Wang Jiaxiang will participate.’”

Stalin said, ‘I suggest that Comrade Gao Gang sign on behalf of the Northeast People’s Government. It would be more convenient for him to appear.’ Liu Shaoqi had no choice but to give his consent.

Stalin immediately turned to Vyshinsky and instructed, ‘Comrade Foreign Minister, please publish tomorrow in Pravda and Kommersant the news of Comrade Gao Gang’s arrival in Moscow at the head of a commercial delegation from the Northeast for the purpose of public activity.’

Kovalev, who accompanied the Chinese Communist delegation to the Soviet Union, said, ‘Gao Gang is an extraordinary man with the gift of leadership.’”

Journalist: “The Soviet Union appreciates Gao Gang!”

Mao: “Yes. At the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (Bu) on July 27, 1949. Liu Shaoqi retracted his request for Soviet air and submarine help to liberate Taiwan. Then an emotional Gao Gang also spoke. He fully endorsed Liu Shaoqi’s statement and then put forward one of his personal proposals. Gao Gang said he suggested declaring the Eastern Provinces as the 17th Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union (there were 16 republics in the Soviet Union at that time) Gao Gang said this would guarantee the Eastern Provinces from American encroachment and turn them into a more reliable base to continue southward in order to completely annihilate Chiang Kai-shek. In addition, Gao Gang suggested that the Soviet fleet be stationed in Qingdao to strengthen the Soviet forces in the Far East and increase their numbers. After Gao Gang finished speaking, the participants rang out in applause, Liu Shaoqi face looks very angry.”

Journalist: “Wow, Gao Gang openly wants the Northeast to be part of the Soviet Union?”

Mao: “Yes, the meeting ended, Gao Gang and Liu Shaoqi returned to their residence by car. Liu Shaoqi accused Gao Gang of mutiny and the two had an argument. Liu Shaoqi immediately sent a secret telegram to me, requesting that Gao Gang be summoned back to China.

In September 1949, a delegation of wealthy Hong Kong businessmen came to my office and asked for permission to visit the Northeast. I agreed. When the rich men returned from the sightseeing, they came to me again to report their impressions of the sightseeing. They were satisfied that, unlike the southern Kuomintang areas which were in chaos, the Northeast was orderly and well-ordered, but somewhat less like China and more like its neighbor to the north. What surprised them most was that they could not see my portrait at all in the Northeast, but only Stalin’s. When I heard about this, I was so angry that I summoned Gao Gang to a meeting of the Politburo that day. The portrait issue was discussed. Liu Shaoqi lashed out at Gao Gang. He brought up Gao Gang’s suggestion in Moscow to turn the Northeast into the 17th Soviet Republic of the Soviet Union. Zhou Enlai spoke and accused Gao Gang of betraying China and doing his best to cede the Northeast to the Soviet Union. He suggested that Gao Gang be expelled from the Politburo and the Central Committee.”

Journalist: “Wow, Gao Gang hung a statue of Stalin in the Northeast and not you?”

Mao: “Yes. I did not express my personal opinion, and I voted for the resolution. The resolution condemned Gao Gang’s path and recommended taking down the Stalin portraits hanging throughout China.

Liu Shaoqi said: Soviet military institutions, joint Soviet-Chinese institutions, and Chinese party committees and league committees should still hang Stalin’s portraits.

The next day, I received a telegram from Stalin. He supported the path I and Liu Shaoqi were taking and condemned Gao Gang, which pleased me. However, the issue of the portrait was not yet resolved.”

Journalist: “Stalin still supported you, didn’t he?”

Mao: “Yes. In early December 1949, I led a delegation to Moscow to celebrate Stalin’s birthday and stopped in Shenyang for a tour of the city. I wanted to see how the resolution on the matter of portraits was being carried out. I saw that all the tall buildings in Shenyang were hung with huge portraits of Stalin in his marshal’s uniform, but not a single one of me. I was very angry.

When I returned to the station, the secretary of the municipal party committee reported to me that the people of Northeast China, as well as Comrade Gao Gang and Comrade Lin Biao, had prepared a whole carriage of gifts for Stalin’s 70th birthday, and this carriage was already hanging on my train. I said, “Take off the carriage, unload the gifts, and pull one carriage to Gao Gang’s house and the other to Lin Biao’s house. Please tell them that on behalf of all China, I brought gifts to Stalin, and that the Northeast still belongs to China now.”

Journalist: “Do not hang your portrait you are angry, Gao Gang directly to Stalin gifts, you gave the withdrawal?”

Mao: “Yes. While I was in Moscow, I unexpectedly received a confidential document from Stalin to me. It was a report from the Soviet ambassador to him, which compared my policy and actual activities with Stalin’s proposals. The Soviet ambassador made rather sharp criticisms of me, including the question of Gao Gang. Stalin threw such a report at me and put a lot of pressure on me. The fact that he held the Gao Gang card in his hand made me afraid to move Gao Gang easily; I could not offend Stalin and therefore could not offend Gao Gang.”

Journalist: “Stalin sided with Gao Gang and put pressure on you?”

Mao: “Yes, Gao Gang is unreliable and he tries to lean on Stalin to strengthen his position. When Stalin was alive, I not only had to tolerate him, but also to elevate him. Although I was more ‘furious’ than Liu Shaoqi when I learned of his report, when Gao Gang returned to China early and appeared at the Juxiang Study House, I gave him my condolences and promised Gao Gang that he would be ready to become vice president. This flattered Gao Gang and created a great illusion that I would let him replace Liu Shaoqi in the pro-Soviet line.”

Journalist: “You also used Gao Gang and leaned on Stalin?”

Mao: “Yes, Stalin was the big boss.”