From the Journal of A. Ya. Vyshinsky, 'Record of a Conversation with Zhou Enlai, Premier of the PRC State Administrative Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs, 18 August 1952'

Top Secret

from the journal of

1. YA. VYSHINSKY

[USSR MFA [[Far}}Eastern

Department stamp:

3215s

19 August 1952]

[Handwritten at the bottom of the first page: AVPRF. F. 0100, Op. 45, d. 9, p. 342, ll. 6-8]

RECORD OF A CONVERSATION WITH

ZHOU ENLAI, PREMIER OF THE PRC STATE ADMINISTRATIVE COUNCIL AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

18 August 1952

Today at 1800 I received Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Administrative Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs, who paid me a protocol visit.

At the start of the conversation Zhou Enlai said that great changes had occurred in international life since the time of our last meeting in 1950; the Soviet Union had made enormous achievements, and considerable successes had also been achieved in the PRC. Speaking of the situation in China, Zhou Enlai stressed that, thanks to the great work done by the Communist Party and the people’s government in mobilizing the Chinese people, a stability unprecedented for China had been achieved in the field of the economy and finances. They already managed to balance the state budget last year, and by the end of 1952 a surplus would be achieved in the national budget. Great industrial construction was being developed in the country, agrarian reform is being completed, and enormous irrigation work is being conducted.

At this point Zhou Enlai stressed the special importance of the aid being given China by the Soviet Union, the Soviet people, the VKP(b), and Cde. Stalin personally. Zhou Enlai said that without the aid which the Soviet Union has always given and is giving China at the present time neither the people’s revolution in China nor the successes in the peaceful development of the PRC would not have been possible. Zhou Enlai noted that an exceptionally great role in the historical achievements of China belongs to Cde. Stalin. It is thanks to his wise instructions, said Zhou Enlai, which illuminated the path to victory of the Chinese revolution that the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party and leader Mao Zedong were able to crush the forces of imperialism and the Kuomintang dictatorship in China. Zhou Enlai noted, in the 30 years since the creation of the Communist Party of China the Chinese people have waged an untiring struggle for their national liberation and independence, never parting with their most powerful weapon, Marxism-Leninism, the Stalinist science of defeating the enemies of the people and the revolution. Zhou Enlai stressed, with this weapon the Soviet people and the Chinese people are able to win victory over any enemy which impinges on the fate of the camp of the countries of peace and democracy.

For my part I noted the great role which the Communist Party of China has played and is playing in the historical struggle of the Chinese people, the outstanding merits of Mao Zedong, who has creatively employed Marxist-Leninist science in the conditions of China, and the great successes of the Chinese people in the building of their new free and independent country. I also pointed to the importance of our friendship, and to the need to further strengthen and develop the friendly cooperation between the USSR and the PRC.

Then Zhou Enlai asked whether I had any comments about those wishes which he had set forth in the conversation with Cde. Fedorenko on 16 August. I said that I had familiarized myself with his wishes and for my part I had no comments.

At the conclusion of the conversation Zhou Enlai expressed a wish to consult with me on various questions of his stay in Moscow. I said that I was always ready to meet with him and offer the necessary assistance.

PRC Ambassador in the USSR Zhang Wentian; Chief of the PRC MFA Department of the USSR and the Countries of Eastern Europe Xu Yixin; chief of a sector of the PRC MFA Department of the USSR and the Countries of Eastern Europe Ma Lie; and Chief of the USSR MFA 1^st Far East Department N. Fedorenko, were present at the conversation.

A. Vyshinsky

Authenticated by: [illegible signature]

Distributed to  Cdes.

Stalin

Molotov

Malenkov

[one short name crossed out]

Mikoyan

Kaganovich

Bulganin

Khrushchev

Pushkin

Podtserob

the 1^st Far East Department

and two to file

15 copies ak

[date off the reproduced page] August 1952

[handwritten: Copy N 12

735-V

[Translator’s comment: from the position in the list and the brevity of the name the crossed-out name is probably Beria]