April 21, 1956
Conversation from [Mao Zedong's] Audience with a Delegation of Journalists from Yugoslavia (Excerpt)
This document was made possible with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)
接见南斯拉夫新闻工作者代表团时的谈话（摘录）
（一九五六年四月二十一日）
……原子弹并不比刀枪厉害，你们相信不相信？古人用刀枪打了几百年。汉代中国人口有五千万，一打只剩一千万。唐代又发展到五千万，安禄山造反，一打只剩下一千多万。用冷武器打仗拖延很久，死人很多。大片土地无人，欧洲历史上可能也有这种情况。后来拿破仑时代开始发展到步枪，可打八百米远，以后又发展到大炮，用热武器打仗。我们没有试过原子弹，但可以算一算：全世界有二十五亿，原子弹就算杀掉一半还有十多亿，也比过去用冷武器时死的人少。我们中国有六亿人口，原子弹杀死掉一半，还有三亿人口，有二、三十年又恢复过来了。
……每一个民族里总有坏人的，不可能设想只有一种好人。一万年以后也是这样。因此，一万年以后戏台上还要演好人与坏人。假如没有坏人，没有好人与坏人的冲突和矛盾，那么就没有戏可看了。
In a meeting with journalists from Yugoslavia, Mao compares the atomic bomb to other weapons used throughout history and argues that the atomic bomb would kill fewer people. Finally, he notes that conflicts between good and bad people will always exist.
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