Draft Response to the Memorandum from the Soviet Union dated 9 August

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(1) At 8:00 p.m. on 17August, Comrade Pu Shouchang reported that the Premier [Zhou Enlai] had read the memorandum from the Embassy of the Soviet Union in China and requested that we respond. The response shall include three parts:

1. Before and after the Soviet side [illegible], we learned the [following] news from several aspects: those people who fled to the Soviet Union and then returned have said that, of those who have fled to the Soviet Union, some will run back to engage in rioting [in Xinjiang]; some people in Xinjiang say that the Soviet Union has opened up holes [in the fences] again. In the reply note [to the Soviet Union], it was pointed out that these kinds of stories are related to the mentioning of the holes [in the fences] in the Soviet side's memorandum; at the same time, this is a [form of] subversive activity. Based on the situation on the border, we believe that [we] should continue to blockade the border in order to the protect the peace there. At the same time, all subversive activities should be stopped in order to maintain friendly relations between the two countries.

2. We believe that since bilateral trade all passes through the center, there is no necessity for the Soviet Union to have business representative offices in Xinjiang and [we] demand that the Soviet side withdraw these offices to Beijing. At the same time, explain that we have not set up any corresponding business representative offices in the Soviet Union

3. There are two types of Soviet citizens in Xinjiang today. The first type are the White Russians, who have no citizenship and have requested request to go to other countries and  are not willing to return to the Soviet Union. In the reply note, [we will] notify the Soviet side that we agree for them to leave. The other type are the Soviet nationals. In the reply note [we will] point out that if it is found out that the Soviet nationals are engaged in subversive activities, then we will deport them.

Ma Lie says the reply shall be submitted to [Vice] Premier Chen [Yi] and then forwarded here (the Department of Soviet and Eastern European Affairs has already been notified).