Moscow 20 January 1951
I report to you about my recent meetings with the leaders of the Communist Party of China.
1. On 31 December 1950 during a dinner at Mao Zedong's (present at the New Year meeting were: Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi1, Zhou Enlai2, and Zhu De3), Mao Zedong spoke about the war in Korea, and pointed to the fact that unfortunately the Americans do not want to wage big battles. We, he said, hoped that the Americans would fight for the 38th Parallel, but they abandoned it almost without resistance and now are also hastily evacuating Seoul. Our main task in Korea is to kill as much American troops as possible. Mao Zedong said, we are not against the war in Korea dragging on since every day the American troops are in Korea America burns with fever, sows discord among the ruling circles of the American imperialists, and influences public opinion against the ruling circles.
[Footnote at the bottom of the page: P. F. Yudin had held a conversation with Mao Zedong before, on 29 October 1957 (see "Operatsiya proydet menee boleznenno" (The Operation Will Go Less Painfully"//Istochnik. 1996. Nš 4. S. 109-114)].
Mao Zedong expressed satisfaction that they had organized the supply of their troops in Korea with everything necessary. In the beginning they organized the supply of their troops badly, although the troops were also located close to the Chinese border. He said that they were learning much from the experience of the war in Korea, how a modern army needs to be organized and how to wage a war against modern imperialist armies.
After dinner Mao Zedong and Liu Shaoqi stepped aside and invited me over to them. A small conversation was held during which Mao Zedong complained a lot about the poor state of his health. He said that he had sharply decreased blood pressure, that he was overworked to an extreme degree, and had reached a condition that he could not work. Mao Zedong said that in the near future he plans to go somewhere to rest for a month or two.
Then Mao Zedong said that right now all the Communist Parties of the Asian countries are turning to him for advice, with requests for help, and that right now in Peking there are permanent representatives from all the Communist Parties of Asia except the Communist Party of India. The situation in the different Communist Parties of Asia needs to be studied, to give them advice, and to give them various aid. It is difficult for us to handled this matter alone.
In addition, said Mao Zedong, many new issues are arising here in China which need to be studied and solved. We would like the VKP(b) CC to study our issues and our work.
In connection with this Mao Zedong stated the following: we are seriously raising the question of the need to have a permanent representative from the VKP(b) CC in the CC of our Party. The VKP(b) CC representative should have several of his own assistants who would study the problems of Asia together with our officials, and raise these questions to the VKP(b) CC and the CPC CC for a joint solution. Mao Zedong told Liu Shaoqi to meet with me and talk about what they knew about the situation in the Communist Parties of Asia.
In conclusion Mao Zedong said he regrets that I was not able to familiarize myself with all the regions of China and that he would like for me to come to China again after his works come out in Russian. He asked me what I thought of this. I thanked him for such a suggestion and said that the VKP(b) CC ought to study this issue. Mao Zedong said that he had addressed a request to Cde. Stalin about this question.
2. On 3 January 1951 Liu Shaoqi invited me to his office in the CPC CC. In the conversation he repeated to me what Mao Zedong had said that there are permanent representatives in the CPC CC from all the Parties of the Asian countries. From several countries, for example, from Burma and Indonesia, there are representatives from groups of these Parties who are fighting each other. He said that they are coming themselves, without prior agreement, since their border is poorly closed. Liu Shaoqi said, we are trying to check them in advance before entering into discussions with them. From the Communist Party of Indonesia, they asked permission to come for representatives of the two groups from the CC leadership fighting each another there. He said, we haven't given them a reply yet since we don't know any of them.
Liu Shaoqi spoke first of all about the situation in the Communist Party of Japan. He said that Tokuda4 and Nosaka5 are in Peking right now. We are studying the situation in the Communist Party of Japan right now. Liu Shaoqi said that he has had two meetings with Tokuda and Nosaka. There will be several more meetings, and right now some Japanese documents are being translated. After some time they will form a more complete picture about the situation in the Communist Party of Japan. He said, right now the following is clear for them, that there is a split in the Communist Party of Japan. Two Politburo members and five CC members put together a new CC and are fighting the CC headed by Tokuda and Nosaka. The CC of the Communist Party of Japan is mainly waging an organized struggle against the opposition. Entire organizations are being expelled from the Party for supporting the opposition. The opposition accuses the CC of not fully admitting the mistakes pointed out in the Informbyuro newspaper at one time.
Liu Shaoqi said that back in September they had printed an editorial about the tasks of the Communist Party of Japan in the publication of the Communist Party of China, about the need to preserve Party unity, and that the main task of the Communist Party of Japan were the struggle to expel the American imperialists from Japan and the struggle for the national independence of Japan.
He said that this had some influence, but not completely. Liu Shaoqi said that they want to invite representatives of the opposition of the Communist Party of Japan to Peking and to identify the substance of the differences together with Tokuda, Nosaka, and representatives of the opposition and work out the common line of the activity of the Communist Party of Japan.
Liu Shaoqi dwelt especially on the situation in the Communist Party of India. He said splits had arisen in the Party for a long time, and the leadership often changes. Each group which comes into the leadership expels the supporters of the group of the leadership that was overthrown from the Party. After the war there were 200,000 Party members in the Communist Party of India, but right now there are no more than 40,000.
Liu Shaoqi said that very great importance needs to be given to strengthening the Communist Party of India in connection with that role which India should play in the final destruction of international imperialism.
Liu Shaoqi asked me especially to pose to the VKP(b) CC the question of the situation of the Communist Party of India in order to work out measures to strengthen this Party. He said that their point of view on this issue comes down to the following: representatives of the Communist Party of India need to be invited to Peking or Moscow, the situation in this Party needs to be studied in detail, and to work out the political line of the Communist Party of India and direct it onto the right path. The Communist Party of India cannot cope with this task through its own efforts. Such a condition of the Communist Party of India which it is experiencing right now only benefits the British and American imperialists.
Liu Shaoqi said that a congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam would be held in the near future. It is evident that Ho Chi Minh6 will enter the CC in this congress and take a leading position as chairman or general secretary of the CC. Up to now Ho Chi Minh has not been in the CC and has not occupied any organizational post, but has been in the position of a person standing above the CC as a supreme or highest leader of the people. The CC of the Communist Party of Vietnam consults with Ho Chi Minh on practically all issues and he essentially supervises the activity of the CC.
Liu Shaoqi said that there is factional warfare in the Communist Parties of Burma and Indonesia. He spoke favorably of the Communist Party of Malaysia.
At the end of the conversation Liu Shaoqi raised the same question about which Mao Zedong had spoken, the need for permanent representation of the VKP(b) CC in the CPC. He said that in his opinion there should be about five officials with the authorized representative of the VKP(b) CC who would, if they were not specialists, be specialized in Asian issues. For its part the CPC CC would also allot an appropriate group of officials for joint work with the VKP(b) CC officials. He added further that right now they are creating courses for about 400 people for them to train officials of the various Communist Parties of Asian countries. And, he said, we have a great need for the help of the VKP(b) CC in this, which the VKP(b) CC officials permanently working in China could give. Liu Shaoqi said that they attach great importance to the issue of a representation of the VKP(b) CC in the CPC CC.
3. On 4 January 1951 Zhou Enlai came to my apartment. His statements mainly touched on the situation in Korea, and about questions of the economic situation of China and the anti-American campaign being pursued in China. He said nothing new about the situation in Korea in comparison with what Mao Zedong had said. Speaking of the economic situation inside the country he pointed to the fact that this year they had created a good situation with grain. They have grain reserves which provide not only domestic needs, also including the supply of the troops in Korea and aid to Korea with grain, but they can also export grain to other countries. Zhou Enlai spoke of the difficulties which they are already experiencing right now in expert specialists for the economy. He said that it would be hard to cope with this task without the aid of the USSR. He said, we will have address a request the government of the USSR and to the governments of the people's democracies for them to give agreement to send a large group of students to their countries to study in their universities and institutes. But we have will have new difficulties - right now we do not have enough money and we will ask them to give a deferment for payment for teaching of the students.
Zhou Enlai spoke in detail about the campaign to fight the American imperialists which is being pursued in China right now, pointing out that they have achieved significant political results in this campaign. Even a majority of the urban bourgeoisie is taking an active part in this movement. He said, there has never been anything like this in China. If we have to fight America we are seriously preparing our people for this.
Zhou Enlai also touched on the situation in the various countries of Asia, especially in Japan and India. He basically repeated what Liu Shaoqi had said yesterday, and also dwelt in detail on the importance of India, [the importance] which it should play for the final destruction of world imperialism, and on the need for the creation of a strong Communist Party of India.
P. Yudin
Attachment: I am attaching my note which I sent Mao Zedong about my trip
throughout China. When I returned from the trip Mao Zedong was ill. Chen Boda7
told me that Mao Zedong would be pleased if I wrote him a note about my trip
throughout China.