Bissen was a faithful recorder.
The original archive of "1937, Yan'an Dialogue" was produced in June 1937, that is, on the eve of the outbreak of the Lugou Bridge Incident, spanning more than 80 years, listening to Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai and other founding greats discussing current affairs, those voices with great historical penetration, people were amazed by their accuracy in grasping the general trend, brave and fearless self-confidence, and their calmness in retreating and retreating.
From the interviews conducted by Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Zhou Enlai, we can see that this leading collective has a unified ideology and a clear division of labor; proceeding from its own role, it interprets the CPC's proposition of establishing an anti-Japanese united front from different angles, and its profound analysis and judgment of the domestic and international situation is like a revolutionary contingent in northern Shaanxi?
Illustration of "Red Star Shines on China", People's Literature Publishing House, Beijing, June 2017, 2nd edition, picture remade by the book.
Philip Jaffe (from left), Peggy Snow (Nim Wells), Owen Latimer, Mao, Bissen, Agnes Jaffe, 1937.
On July 16, 1936, Snow interviewed Mao Zedong in Yan'an, analyzing and prospecting the strategy of the War of Resistance Against Japan. From June 22 to June 23, 1937, Bisen conducted interviews with Mao Zedong, Zhu De, and Zhou Enlai, listening to the three giants talk about the ideas of the War of Resistance Against Japan. A year apart, when Bi Sen interviewed in Yan'an, the Xi'an Incident had occurred on December 12, 1936, and was peacefully resolved with the participation of the Communist Party of China, and the Kuomintang and the Communists reached an agreement to jointly resist Japan, less than a month after Japan launched the Lugou Bridge Incident on July 7, 1937, when it began to invade China in an all-round way. The situation is constantly changing, China's united front has basically taken shape, the Japanese fascist chariot has been frantically launched, and a major war is about to break out.
Comparing Mao Zedong's remarks in interviews with Snow and Bisen, we can see the continuation and change of the CPC's thinking on building an anti-Japanese united front before and after the Xi'an Incident. (The youth edition of "Red Star Shines on China" is subject to the second edition of the People's Literature Publishing House in June 2017)
First, on the united front
In an interview with Snow, in response to the question of "under what conditions do you think Chinese people can consume and defeat the Japanese army," Mao Zedong believed that three conditions would guarantee our success: "First, China formed an anti-Japanese national united front, second, the whole world formed an anti-Japanese united front, and third, the oppressed peoples of all countries who are currently suffering under the forces of Japanese imperialism take revolutionary action." Of these three conditions, the main condition is the unity of the Chinese people themselves. ”
In an interview with Bi Sen, due to the settlement of the Xi'an incident, the thinking of the united front has become clearer. In response to the differences between dozens of people on both sides, Mao Zedong pointed out: "For the common political goal of 'anti-Japanese united front', both sides need to make efforts. Therefore, it is very necessary to face the formation of a united front of Japanese imperialism and a resolute struggle against the pro-Japanese faction in China. Although it is not possible to make a detailed prediction of the future of the united front, Mao Zedong analyzed: "Basically, the components of the united front are the proletariat, the peasant class, the petty bourgeoisie on one side, and the national bourgeoisie on the other. There are commonalities and contradictions between them. What they have in common is that they can all work together to fight. At the same time, however, the contradictions and differences between them will also lead to struggles, resulting in the smooth development of the united front. ”
The future is bright, but the road is tortuous. The united front of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is facing many tests.
Second, on the international situation
In the interview, Snow mentioned the question of whether the Soviet Union would help China resist Japan, and Mao Zedong asserted that the Soviet Union would not be passive, "We believe that once the Chinese people have their own government, start the war of resistance, and need to establish friendly alliances with the Soviet Union and other friendly countries, the Soviet Union will definitely come to join forces with us first." The struggle against Japanese imperialism is a matter for the whole world, and the Soviet Union, as a part of the world, cannot remain neutral like Britain and the United States. ”
Bissen's question was aimed at Britain's attitude toward China's resistance to Japan. In this regard, Mao Zedong proceeded from the international situation and analyzed Britain, the Soviet Union, Japan and other countries, believing that "in order to help itself, Britain has the responsibility to help the forces in the camp of peace, that is, the democratic forces." Mao undoubtedly adopted a more practical attitude in the face of the form of the War of Resistance, "We must get assistance from all countries that oppose Japan to fight Japan." In response to U.S. policy, Mao Zedong proudly said: "They (referring to the American people) care about the fate of the Chinese people, and we are equally concerned about their fate." "If our two countries can unite and fight together, we will open up a new world." This is our common aspiration. ”
"1937, Yan'an Dialogue" In English, the picture comes from the Internet
Third, on the anti-Japanese strategy
In an interview with Snow, Mao Zedong put forward the view that the War of Resistance was a protracted war and a movement war. He believes that in the absence of many favorable conditions, "the war will be very long, but in the end, Japan will still be defeated, but the sacrifices will be great, and the whole world will go through a painful period." "Fourteen years of the War of Resistance, of which eight were all-out, this painful period cannot be described as long. Regarding the outcome of the War of Resistance, Mao Zedong predicted: "China's current task is to recover all the lost land, not just to defend our sovereignty south of the Great Wall. In terms of strategy and tactics, Mao Zedong told Snow: "Strategy should be a strategy of conducting mobile warfare on a long, fluid, and uncertain front." At the same time, he pointed out: "This does not mean that we must abandon the strategic thrust, as long as it is considered advantageous, the strategic thrust should still be defended by position warfare." But the central strategy must be mobile warfare, relying heavily on guerrilla tactics. Deep bases must be exploited, but this is strategically secondary and secondary. ”
Bisen's interview did not involve much strategy, but Zhu De mentioned the military strength of the Red Army, the main force of 90,000 people in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia Border Region, Zhu De said: "Although the number of the armed forces is relatively small, our favorable condition is to have a well-trained strong and cadre team. When fighting the Japanese, these people will become the main resource. ”
Bissen's speech
Fourth, on China's future
Snow's first question to Mao Zedong was: "If Japan were defeated and expelled from China, would you think that the great problem of 'foreign imperialism' would be solved in general?" Mao asserted: "If China defeats Japan, it means that the masses of the Chinese have awakened, mobilized, and established their independence." Thus the main question of imperialism is solved. ”
In an interview with Bisen, Mao Zedong saw China's future direction more clearly, and he made it clear: "After the establishment of a democratic republic, striving for the success of China's socialist revolution will become the next task." China cannot become an imperialist or capitalist country. China's future is first of all a democratic republic, and the second step is a socialist revolution. After analyzing the domestic and international situation facing China, Mao Zedong affirmed: "We have come to the conclusion that China can bypass capitalism and directly realize socialism." ”
It is worth mentioning that On the issue of the leader of the War of Resistance, Mao Zedong, Snow, and Bisen all expressed their views. In his exchanges with Snow, Mao Zedong stated that the Red Army and the Soviet government had "created a kind of rock-solid unity" among the people of the Soviet zone and that "in the struggle in the Soviet zone, the people were led by capable, powerful and determined people who had a deep understanding of their strategic, political, economic and military needs." A year later, under the circumstances of the peaceful settlement of the Xi'an Incident and the basic formation of the anti-Japanese national united front, Mao Zedong said with more confidence: "Who will serve as the leader depends not only on who has more troops, but also on what kind of plan he has formulated and the efforts he has made to this end." The Communist Party will not pursue its own self-interest in this regard. The Communist Party serves the interests of the majority of the people, the country and the suffering people, and if our struggle is successful, if the Japanese are driven out, if the situation develops in this direction, it means that the whole movement is being carried out precisely under the leadership of the Communist Party. ”
More than eighty years have passed, and in the difficult environment of internal and external troubles, the first generation of leaders of the Communist Party of China, represented by Mao Zedong, have the world in their hearts and point out the country, and the wise voices of the great people who have great historical penetration have stirred in history and echoed in reality.
As Dr. Sun Yat-sen said: The tide of the world is mighty, and if it goes along with it, it will prosper, and if it goes against it, it will die.