Chapter 43 China and the Soviet Union openly broke up 1963-1964

Journalist: “When did China and the Soviet Union break up openly? Why did it have to break up?”

Mao: “The Sino-Soviet alliance finally broke up openly by 1963. As early as June 1960, in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, the 51st National Communist Congress, Khrushchev attacked me, saying: enter socialism by war, only a madman wants to fight another world war. Khrushchev also said to Peng Zhen: you want to dominate all people, want to dominate the world. In fact, only I want to dominate the world, Liu Shaoqi and the others do not.

Khrushchev also said: you love Stalin so much, take his coffin, move it to Beijing. We will give you his special train, too. He also said: ‘I see Mao Zedong, as I see Stalin, a mold poured out, only care about personal interests, not the people’s lives.’”

Journalist: “Oh, so Khrushchev saw you through, that is, just like Stalin, and saw that you wanted to dominate the world?”

Mao: “Yes. I admit that the Communist Party was isolated in Romania, and not a single party supported it, not even Albania, out of my surprise.

Khrushchev attacked me so relentlessly that I could not split with him for the time being, and I still needed his military skills. Khrushchev refused to put any mention of me, into the communiqué of the meeting, not a word could be changed, I had to let Peng Zhen sign.

Khrushchev saw through me, and in July 1960, announced the withdrawal of all 1000+ experts and the cessation of all projects that had not yet been completed. This hit me hard, the atomic bomb technology, we have mastered, missiles have not been fully learned. In November 1960, I went to the Soviet Embassy to congratulate the Soviet Union on October Revolution Day, and on New Year’s Day 1961, I sent a congratulatory telegram to Khrushchev in his honor. China and the Soviet Union reconciled a bit, and the Soviet Union agreed to continue to help with 66 construction projects.”

Journalist: “Oh, you also had a request for Soviet military technology and pretended to make peace to deceive him?”

Mao: “Yes, I lied and said that the Soviet Union took advantage of my difficult times to force the debt and was deliberately creating public opinion. In fact, according to the Sino-Soviet agreement, the debt should be paid off in 16 years, I deliberately decided to pay it off in 5 years and asked the people to tighten their belts. Khrushchev not only did not force the debt, but also readjusted the Ruble to RMB exchange rate, which reduced China’s debt by 77% and greatly reduced our debt.

In February 1961, Khrushchev also very kindly offered to lend me one million tons of grain and 500,000 tons of Cuban sugar to ease the famine. I accepted the sugar and politely declined the grain. Khrushchev also offered to transfer the right to manufacture MiG 21 fighter planes, which I immediately accepted with pleasure. Military industry is my life, food doesn’t matter.”

Journalist: “Nearly to the rupture, but Khrushchev is still generous aiding you?”

I refuse to accept Khrushchev’s assistance with food supplies, as accepting it would be tantamount to admitting the existence of the Great Famine, wouldn’t it? Internationally, I have never acknowledged any hunger issues. When future Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau visited China in 1960, we only showed him the positive aspects. He was not allowed to visit the rural areas to see the actual situation. He was deceived and subsequently wrote a book refuting the reports of the Great Famine, claiming that there was no famine in China. In 1961, when French Socialist Party leader Mitterrand visited China, I told him, “Let me repeat once again, there is no famine in China.” British Field Marshal Montgomery visited China in 1960 and 1961, and I had sincere discussions with him as well. He, too, was deceived and stated that there was no large-scale famine in China, only some regions with insufficient food supply. He even praised me, saying, ‘China cannot do without Chairman Mao. You cannot leave this ship.’”

Journalist: “You lied to foreign leaders, all together, claiming that there was no famine?”

Mao: “Yes, I also specially invited 3 writers, Snow, Han Suyin and Green, to visit China, and they, like me, could only see the good, not the hunger, and could not go to the disaster area, and they were all deceived and sold propaganda for me in the international arena. I want to build a tall revolutionary image internationally, who will believe the caller? I also take advantage of scoring internationally to divert domestic attention from the difficulties and to reduce my pressure.”

Journalist: “You are relying on lying and deceiving people to relieve the pressure?”

Yes, in 1962, Wang Jiaxiang proposed to ease tensions internationally, including with the United States, the Soviet Union, and India, and to reduce foreign aid in order to focus on domestic affairs. I criticized him for his ‘Three Harmonies and One Reduction’ policy, which was similar to revisionism, and he was unable to continue his work effectively.

In March 1963, the Soviet Communist Party sent us a letter, and I decided to launch a full-scale criticism and turn against the Soviet Communist Party, and in July 1963, I had the People’s Daily publish an article entitled ‘The General Line of the International Communist Party,’ in which I publicly denounced the Soviet Communist Party, accusing it of engaging in peaceful coexistence, peaceful competition, peaceful transition, and a national state. The ‘Three Harmonies and Two Perfections’ revisionist line, I raised the banner of Marxism-Leninism, and the center of revolution should be transferred to Beijing.”

Journalist: “You just can write articles blindly criticizing revisionism?”

Mao: “Yes, the review of the Soviet article, I instructed the organization of the team on the battlefield, a total of nine articles, for more than a year, until October 1964, only after the ‘Reviews on Nine Articles,’ I have read every article, some of them also personally revised. I criticized Khrushchev’s revisionism, in fact, he was engaged in reform and opening up, after my death, Deng Xiaoping’s reform and opening up, similar to his.”

Journalist: “The Sino-Soviet split was because you wanted to be the world’s communist king?”

Mao: “Yes.

People study the deeper reasons for the breakup of the Soviet Union, but it is actually simple: I want to ascend to the communist throne, to trample down Khrushchev, I am the king, instead of Stalin, I am the number one figure of the world, it is as simple as that, as to when the complete rupture, depending on the Soviet aid has been completely exhausted, I can no longer be used. As I have to rely on the Soviet Union militarily and economically, I hope to drag it out, there is no choice, I still have to beg him, I have to put up with it, pretend to have him as the head, fight but not hard. The real reason is that the communist camp only needs me as a sun, I am the emperor, the gang has a boss, the communist camp is essentially a gang, who is the boss? The struggle for power and position is inevitable, the so-called party struggle, in fact, is the struggle of the gang.

After my death in 1976, it was Deng Xiaoping’s turn, he did not talk about ideology, not to talk about the party or not party, the two parties have been separated from the Soviet Union, only the country and the country, national relations, only diplomatic relations without who is the boss of the party, to the so-called ‘normalization of national relations,’ to the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was completely normalized.

Some people in the West think that China and the Soviet Union both believe in Marx and share a common hatred of the West, and that the Sino-Soviet alliance will not break up. I don’t believe in Marx, I believe in myself, I want to be the king, the Soviet Union has arms, atomic bombs, technology, I just use him, what divergence is just an excuse, just ideological appearance, bluff, in order to combat the opponent. I do not care what the rules of the game, I just care about my boss when the head, Stalin was the boss before he died, I like his model, ready-made, I will rise to the boss according to the Stalin model, I am anxious to ascend to the throne of the boss, regardless of everything. The ideological dispute, I am to fight to rule the soul of mankind, my words count, the so-called ‘power to speak’ in my hands, I inherited Stalin’s orthodox position, ideology is just a tool. The Soviet Union wants détente, I want tension, I create tension in order to incite the revolution, who will be in charge? I want to be the head of the family, but the Soviet Union does not listen, so we have to divide the family.

In fact, on the times, Khrushchev said the times have changed, the pursuit of peace and development is right, I am a gang brutality, another stove to lead the left to continue to be a scourge, and even the United States against the Soviet Union, the struggle for world revolutionary dominance. China and the Soviet Union to fight each other to the death, the border I create trouble to fight, Stalin bullying the weak, I more lawless, this is the characteristics of the rebel gang.

I was born with a strong desire for power, Khrushchev is much more enlightened than me, I fight by force, not subject to any constraints, I do not like any law, system, just the form, my only slogan is “lawlessness”. All ideologies, doctrines, propaganda, are only ornaments, tools, only in my hands to play, to deceive the masses, to deceive the international, I am my power first, what country, party interests, are props in my hands that I can play around.

The outside world said my country is not stable, said there are rules and regulations to restrain the stability, I do not want stability, I want to do whatever I want, say change.

After my death, in the 1980s, China and the Soviet Union stopped fighting for the leadership, and each was in charge of its own affairs, leaving only the diplomatic interests of the country, so there was no more fighting.”

Journalist: “Did you have a premonition when Khrushchev stepped down in October 1964? What did you feel?”

Mao: “No, I had no premonition, I was surprised, a cold sweat.”

Journalist: “Why? Wasn’t he your nemesis, whom you hated the most?”

Mao: “Yes, he was a revisionist, my archenemy. I detested his opposition to Stalin, which threatened my fundamental position. However, I learned that it was Khrushchev who went on vacation to the Black Sea and orchestrated a palace coup in Moscow, forcing him to step down. At that time, I was in Shanghai, and I feared that Liu Shaoqi and others would follow suit and pass a resolution in Beijing to remove me from power, confining me to house arrest in Shanghai. They only needed one accusation against me: causing the deaths of tens of millions due to starvation.”

Journalist: “And how do you prevent a coup to oust you?”

Mao: “I hurried to make a list, called Kang Sheng, Xie Fuzhi, Lin Biao, Luo Ruiqing, Ke Qingshi, etc. came to see me on time, I gave them to set up to prevent a coup, to defend me. I gave them separate talks after the arrangement, and drafted a telegram to Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai they sent, clearly stipulate that under no circumstances, without my decision, not to convene any name Politburo meeting, to prevent a series of meetings to stage a coup.”