December 9, 1949
Memorandum of Conversation, Charge d’Affaires of the Soviet Embassy with Chinese Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai on 9 December 1949
This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation
Top Secret, Copy No.1, 31 January 1950
Memorandum of Conversation
Charge d’affaires of the USSR Embassy in the PRC Com. P. A. SHIBAEV with PRC Foreign
Minister ZHOU ENLAI on 9 December 1949
On 9 December 1949 at 2300 I visited Zhou Enlai at his residence.
[Shibaev reports the intrusion of Chinese troops into Mongolia, but it is unclear if they are under GMD or Communist command. Zhou apologizes if they are Communist.]
During the talk Zhou Enlai told me that he had received information that at 1600 Mao Zedong and Ambassador Roshchin had crossed the Sino-Soviet border and that at 1800 Li Kenong and Tikhvinskii had started back to Beijing. Zhou added that the Chinese were thinking of publicizing Mao’s departure and his arrival in Moscow simultaneously on 17-18 December.
Then Zhou Enlai announced that he is expecting recognition of the PRC by India, Burma, and possibly England soon. I noted that today’s press had announcements about this and asked him if his statement was based on these or did he have more reliable sources. Zhou said that he had more reliable information from America and Hong Kong.
Charge d’affaires of the USSR Embassy in the PRC P. Shibaev
Description of a discussion between the Soviet Charge d'Affaires in the PRC and Zhou Enlai, covering Mao Zedong's trip to Moscow and recognition of the PRC by England, Burma, and India.
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