Chapter 17 Prepare to sign a new Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance

(January 2 and 3, 1950) one central: (1) There has been an important development in the work here in the past two days.Comrade Stalin has agreed with Comrade Zhou Enlai to come to Moscow and sign a new Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance and agreements on loans, commerce and civil aviation.Yesterday, January 1, it was decided to publish my conversation with the TASS reporter. It has appeared in various newspapers today (2nd), and you have received it.Today at 8:00 p.m. Comrades Molotov and Mikoyan[1] came to my place to talk and asked me my opinion on the Sino-Soviet treaty and other matters.I will describe three methods in detail: (a) Sign a new Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance.There are great benefits in doing so.Sino-Soviet relations are fixed on the new treaty, Chinese workers, peasants, intellectuals and the left wing of the national bourgeoisie will all feel excited, and can isolate the right wing of the national bourgeoisie; we can have greater political capital to deal with imperialism internationally countries to review the treaties concluded between China and the imperialist countries in the past. (B) A simple communiqué issued by the news agencies of the two countries, only mentioning that the authorities of the two countries exchanged views on the old Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance[2] and other issues, and reached consensus on important issues, without involving detailed content , actually delay this issue for a few years.To do so, of course Chinese Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai would not come. (c) To sign a statement which addresses the main points of the relationship between the two countries, but is not a treaty.In doing so, Zhou Enlai may not come.After I analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the above three methods in detail, Comrade Molotov said that method (a) is good and Zhou can come.I still ask, is the old treaty to be replaced by a new treaty? Comrade Molotov says yes.Then count the weeks and the time to sign the treaty.I said, my telegram will arrive in Beijing on January 3, Enlai will prepare for it in five days, depart from Beijing on January 9, take the train for 11 days, arrive in Moscow on January 19, and about ten days from January 20 to the end of the month Time to negotiate and sign various treaties, and Zhou and I returned to China in early February.At the same time, I also talked about the issue of my traveling abroad. It was agreed to pay a visit to Lenin's tomb, go to Leningrad, Gorky City, etc., and take a look at the arsenal, the underground tram (these two items were mentioned by comrades Mo and Mier), Collective farms, etc.He also talked about talking with the comrades in charge of the Soviet Union (I have not gone out to see any of them alone). (2) After you receive this telegram, please complete the preparations within five days.It is hoped that Enlai, together with the Minister of Trade and other necessary assistants and necessary documents, will leave Beijing on January 9 and come to Moscow by train (not by plane), with Comrade Dong Biwu[3] acting as Premier of the State Council.Don't publish it to the outside world, and only publish it after Zhou Momo. (3) Whether the above is feasible, whether five days of preparation time is enough, whether one or two more days of preparation time is needed, and whether it is necessary to call Li Fuchun[4] or other comrades to come and assist, please consider replying by telegram.

Mao Zedong January 2 at 11:00 pm two central: Telephoned Rangda at eleven o'clock yesterday afternoon.Comrade Enlai’s going abroad to the Soviet Union must be officially approved at the meeting of the State Council, and reported that this trip is for negotiation and signing of a new Sino-Soviet friendship and alliance treaty (compared with the old treaty, there may be some changes on the Luda issue, but the specific content is yet to be negotiated .For the purpose of defending against possible aggression by Japan and its allies and the recognition of the independence of Outer Mongolia is still the basic spirit of the New Testament), the loan agreement (our request is 300 million U.S. dollars to be paid in several years, so we The reason for not mentioning more requirements is that it is better to borrow less than to borrow more in the current few years), civil aviation agreements (beneficial to the establishment of our own aviation industry) and trade agreements (determining the scope of barter with the Soviet Union is important for us to determine the direction of production development beneficial, but also conducive to the conclusion of trade agreements with other foreign countries).In addition, government committee members in Beijing should be invited to hold a symposium to make the same report.At the two meetings, it should be pointed out that this action will put the People's Republic in a more favorable position, make the capitalist countries have to be within our scope, and help force all countries to recognize China unconditionally, abolish the old covenant, and re-establish the new covenant, so that all countries Capitalist countries dare not act rashly.

Mao Zedong January 3 at 4:00 am Printed from manuscript. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] Molotov (1890-1986) and Mikoyan (1895-1978) both served as vice-chairmen of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union at that time. [2] Refers to the "Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance" signed in Moscow on August 14, 1945, between the Chinese Kuomintang government and the Soviet government. [3] Dong Biwu (1886-1975), a native of Huang'an (now Hong'an), Hubei.At that time, he was Vice Premier of the Central People's Government Administration Council.

[4] Li Fuchun, then Vice Chairman of the Northeast People's Government.