In 1950, Mao Zedong was 57 years old.
At 11 p.m. on January 2, 1950, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China:
(1) There has been an important development in the work here in the last two days. Comrade Stalin agreed to Comrade Zhou Enlai's visit to Moscow and to sign a new Sino-Soviet treaty of friendship and alliance and agreements on loans, trade, and civil aviation. Yesterday on 1 January, I decided to publish my conversation with a TASS reporter, which has been published in various newspapers today (2 January), and you have received it. At 8 o'clock this afternoon, Comrades Molotov and Mikoyan came to our office to talk and ask me my views on the Sino-Soviet treaty and other matters. I will elaborate on three approaches:
(a) The signing of a new Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance. There is a great benefit to this. When Sino-Soviet relations are fixed on the new treaty, the Chinese workers, peasants, intellectuals, and the left wing of the national bourgeoisie will all feel excited and will be able to isolate the right wing of the national bourgeoisie.
(b) A simple communiqué issued by the news agencies of the two countries merely stated that the authorities of the two countries had exchanged views on the old Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance and other issues, and had reached consensus on important issues, without going into details, and in fact delayed the issue for several years. In doing so, Chinese Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai certainly should not come.
(c) the signing of a declaration that addresses the main points of the relations between the two countries, but is not a treaty. In doing so, Zhou Enlai can not come.
After I analyzed in detail the advantages and disadvantages of the above three measures, Comrade Molotov immediately said, "The method (a) is good, and Zhou can come."
I still ask whether to replace the old treaty with a new one? Comrade Molotov said, yes. The weeks and the time of the signing of the treaty are then calculated. ”
"When you receive this telegram, please prepare it 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 9 January and come to Moscow by train (not by plane), with Comrade Dong Biwu acting as premier of the State Council. Don't publish it externally, and don't publish it until it's thoughtful. ”
"Whether the above is feasible, whether five days of preparation time is sufficient, whether one or two more days of preparation time is needed, and whether it is necessary to call Li Fuchun or other comrades to help, please consider replying by telegram. ”
At first, Stalin did not intend to sign a treaty of friendship with China, so in the days after the birthday banquet, he resorted to snubbing the guests. Mao Zedong was very dissatisfied with what happened during this time. Later, Mao Zedong said of this scene:
After Stalin's birthday party, I had nothing to do in Moscow, so I complained and scolded my mother, and I guess they would hear it. I said to the liaison officer of the Soviet Party that I was fine here. But I did something very important, first eating, second, and third sleeping. Do these three things every day. They asked me to visit, but I didn't go, and I didn't go anywhere if I didn't promise a treaty of alliance.
On January 1, 1950, Luo Shen came to visit the villa. Mao Zedong told Roshen that he was scheduled to stay in the Soviet Union for three months, but now in view of the "domestic work situation", he planned to shorten the time to two months, leaving Moscow at the end of January and returning to China in early February.
The reason why Mao Zedong shortened his visit to the Soviet Union was, as he himself said, on the one hand, because of the domestic work situation, and on the other hand, Mao Zedong felt that since the Sino-Soviet treaty could not be signed, there was no need for him to stay in Moscow for a long time, so he decided to return to China early.
So, how did Stalin change his mind?
It turned out that just when the talks between Mao Zedong and Stalin reached a dead end, the Western press helped Mao Zedong. As a result of not coming forward for several days, the British news agency published information that Mao Zedong was under house arrest in Moscow. This was a major event concerning the international reputation of the Soviet Union, and Stalin would not take it lightly. As a result, China and the Soviet Union agreed to refute the rumors in the form of Mao Zedong's answer to reporters' questions.
Almost at the same time that Mao Zedong answered a question from a TASS reporter, Myanmar, India and Britain said they would recognize the People's Republic of China. Mao Zedong believed that this may have "prompted a change in Stalin's attitude." In addition, a document from the US National Security Council declares that the United States will adjust its policy towards Asia, abandon Taiwan and break away from the Chinese civil war. This gave Stalin the impression that the United States would not mind Moscow concluding a new treaty with Beijing.
Under the influence of these factors, Stalin changed his mind, agreed to re-sign the treaty, and allowed Zhou En to come to Moscow.
On January 2, Mao Zedong's "Answer to a TASS Reporter's Question" was prominently published in Pravda. When asked by a TASS reporter how long Mao Zedong would stay in the Soviet Union, Mao Zedong replied: "I intend to stay for a few weeks." The length of my stay in the Soviet Union was determined in part by the time required to resolve issues concerning the interests of the People's Republic of China. Mao Zedong said that among the issues he was considering, "first of all, the issue of the existing Sino-Soviet treaty of friendship and alliance, the issue of the Soviet Union's loan to the People's Republic of China, the issue of trade and trade agreements between the two countries, and other issues." Mao Zedong also said that he intended to visit several places and cities in the Soviet Union "in order to gain a better understanding of the economic and cultural construction of the Soviet state."
At four o'clock in the morning on January 3, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China:
Yesterday at 11 p.m., the telegram arrived. Comrade Enlai's visit to the Soviet Union must be formally approved at the meeting of the Government Council, and it is reported that the visit is to negotiate and sign a new Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance (compared with the old treaty, there may be some changes on the issue of the University, but the specific content is still to be negotiated. The goal of defending against possible aggression by Japan and its allies and recognizing the independence of Outer Mongolia remained the basic spirit of the New Testament), loan agreements (we demanded 30,000 US dollars, to be paid over several years, and we did not ask for more because it would be advantageous to borrow more than to borrow less in the present years), civil aviation agreements (to help establish our own aviation industry), and trade agreements (to determine the scope of barter with the Soviet Union would be beneficial for us to determine the direction of our production, and also for the conclusion of trade agreements with other foreign countries).
In addition, a forum should be held to make the same report at a forum of government members who are in Beijing.
At the two conferences, it should be pointed out that this action will put the people's republic in a more advantageous position, will make it impossible for the capitalist countries to fall within our bounds, and will help force the countries to unconditionally recognize China, abolish the old Testament, and rewrite the new Covenant, so that the capitalist countries will not dare to act rashly.
On the afternoon of 3 January, Liu Shaoqi presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, at which it was decided that Zhou Enlai would leave for the Soviet Union on 9 January to prepare for the signing of the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance.
At 10:30 a.m. on January 4, I called the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China:
In order to facilitate the discussion of the Dalian and Lushun issues, Zhou asked Ouyang Qin (then secretary of the Luda Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China) to come to Mozambique and asked him to bring materials, especially materials related to the rights and interests in Sino-Soviet relations between Dalian and Lushun.
At 6 o'clock in the morning of January 5, he sent a telegram to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, pointing out:
The main points of the negotiations and the preparations, all the points that you have pointed out must be paid attention to and prepared for. Since it is a negotiation, it is necessary to start a discussion and make our point of view clear. After Enlai leaves, he asks the central government to continue to study and send a telegram of opinion at any time. Regarding the materials on trade, if there is no time to prepare them within five days, you can also continue to prepare them after thinking about them and call them at any time.
At 9 o'clock in the evening of the 5th, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of
Please note two things: (1) When discussing issues such as the revision of the Sino-Soviet Treaty at the Council of Government and the Government Committee, please ask the participants to keep it confidential. (2) Before Zhou led more than 10 people to set off, or on the journey, these people should be summoned to announce discipline, and they should not talk and move around, and everything should be obeyed by the command.
