Chapter 32 The lowest and darkest period 1961

Journalist: “1961 was the year you hit the lowest point?”

Mao: “Yes, in 1959 I knocked Peng Dehuai down and felt that the throne was secure, so I wanted to hold the ‘9th Congress’ in 1960, to hold a victory conference and reunite the whole party to leap forward. The government conservatively calculated that 11 million people died of starvation in 1960. In 1961, the largest number of people died of starvation, a conservative statistic of 13 million, and there was a lot of discontent from all sides.

Tao Zhu said: ‘The Long March is bitter? Not as bitter as the Great Leap Forward! And said: to go with the Communist Party, not with which person.’ Obviously, it was directed at me. Peng Zhen said: ‘the people’s commune will collapse!’ The three red flags are white flags, said I made a line error, to correct the error, let me calmly review, Li Jingquan said: ‘Sichuan has problems, other provinces also have, we are all a mother raised, not check is considerate of my suffering, Zhao Ziyang said: ‘three red flags red can not go on.’ Wu Lengxi said: ‘a man-made disaster, not a natural disaster.’

Chen Qiwu, executive vice minister of the propaganda department of the Shanghai Municipal Party Committee, said: ‘the Great Leap Forward is a great destruction, three red flags are three black flags, I expelled his party membership, Zhang Chunqiao came up instead.’ Chen Yun quoted the peasants as saying: ‘Chiang Kai-shek is suffering in his hands, eating, Mao Zedong is enjoying his blessings in his hands, drinking porridge,’ An Ziwen said: ‘Who is the Central Committee? Liu, Deng and Peng can represent the Central Committee.’ Tan Zhenlin repeatedly mentioned Liu, Deng, Chen, just do not mention me, I was obviously left out, Li Xiannian said: ‘Liu Shaoqi accept 3 years of lessons the country will have hope. They obviously want Liu to chair, left me out in the cold. Liu Shaoqi has become the main figure, how can I be chill?

In 1961 I faced such darkness, once the ‘9th Congress’ summary, who is the scourge of man? I can still run? The election must be Liu Shaoqi as chairman, the best to give me a false position of honorary chairman, so that I retired to escape.”

Journalist: “the situation is very unfavorable to you, you are prepared to beat a retreat?”

Mao: “I was depressed, also had a chat with the security guards around, confided the bitter mood, August 1961 in Lushan I said: I have three major volunteers, one is to devolve to engage in a year of industry, a year of agriculture, half a year of commerce. Second is to invite a geologist, a historian, a literary scholar, with me to ride along the Yellow River Yangtze River field trip. Third is to write a book, write my life, my shortcomings, mistakes are written in, let the world criticize me is good, or bad.

I also said: ‘if I am 70% of the good, 30% of the bad, I am very satisfied, I am not a saint. I sighed to the people around me, some sadness, I was aware of those in the central government may let me retire. Of course, I say this is to support their own face, people will not believe it, like me to make the world turn upside down people, how willing to engage in industrial, agricultural and commercial industries?’”

Journalist: “So what is your response?”

Mao: “My response was to pretend to be weak and passive, to paralyze them from attacking me, and to give them my smoke and mirrors. The records of my conversations with foreign guests would be sent as documents to senior central government officials, and Liu Shaoqi and the others would see them.”

Journalist: “What did you talk to Field Marshal Montgomery about?”

Mao: “On September 23, 1961, I talked with him for three hours, the most crucial of which was to talk about the successor, and he asked me who the successor was. I said it was clear, it was Liu Shaoqi, after my death is him. I also said: before it was the party chairman, the state chairman, both surnamed Mao, now it is one surnamed Mao, one surnamed Liu. After a while, both chairmen are surnamed Liu.

Liu Shaoqi, they saw me so humble, really paralyzed by me, there is no sign to force me to launch the 9th Congress. Originally, the 8th Congress in 1956, 1961 is the right to open the 9th Congress, the rightful name, but I do not want to open, Liu is not good enough to insist that must open, if I am willing to open, the election must be Liu, I am good as an honorary chairman, let me eliminate. 9th Congress political report summary, the culprit of the human disaster I can still run? If Liu forced me to open, I’m afraid Zhou Enlai also disapproved, not to mention that Liu has been in charge of practical power, he is ‘cultivated’ enough not to seek a false name, he was paralyzed by me, I can easily plan a way to turn around.”