(October 20, 1965)
You have put up a good fight, both in the south and in the
north. People the world over are supporting you, including those
who have awakened and some of those who have not yet awakened. The
present world is not one of peace and tranquility, but that is not
because you Vietnamese or we Chinese have invaded the U.S.
Not long ago the Japanese newspapers Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri
Shimbun carried several reports sent back from South Vietnam by
Japanese correspondents. American papers called these reports
unjust, thus instigating a debate. What I have mentioned is not the
Akahata of the Japanese Communist Party, but Japan's bourgeois
newspapers. It can be seen that public opinion is unfavorable to
the U.S. Demonstrations by the American people, mainly the
intellectuals at present, against the Vietnamese policy of the U.S.
government have been developing.
However, these are external conditions; settlement of the issue
still depends on your fighting. Of course, it can also be achieved
through negotiation. There were negotiations in Geneva, but the
Americans didn't keep their word afterward. We likewise had
negotiations with Chiang Kai-shek and the U.S. Rusk once said that
the U.S. and China have held the most numerous negotiations. But we
stick to one point, that is, the U.S. must withdraw from Taiwan;
other questions aren't difficult to solve. The U.S. doesn't agree.
The ten years of negotiations between China and the U.S. still harp
on the same issue. We will not concede on this. The U.S. suggested
exchanging visits of a press delegation with us. It said we could
start with minor things, then solve the major questions. We
insisted that we ought to begin with the major questions; the minor
ones will not be difficult.
Formerly you evacuated you armed forces from the south in
accordance with the Geneva agreement. In consequence, the enemy
there killed at random, so you reengaged in armed struggle. At the
beginning, you put political struggle before armed struggle. We
agreed with you. At the second stage you carried on political
struggle in parallel with armed struggle. This we also agreed with.
At the third stage you put armed struggle first with political
struggle as auxiliary. We further agreed with you. As I see it, as
the enemy escalates the war, you escalate your fighting as well.
You may have a little difficulty in the next two or three Years,
but it's hard to say; things may not be this way. At any rate, this
factor must be taken into consideration. If you have made all
preparations, you won't be too far from the original estimate, even
if the most difficult situation occurs. Isn't that fine? Therefore,
what is basic is: One, strive for the best and two, prepare for the
worst.
You may refer to the experience of Algeria. When the war there
was going into its fourth or fifth year, some leaders began to
worry about it. Prime Minister Abbas came to me, saying that
Algeria had a rather small population, only ten million, among whom
one minion had already been killed; the enemy maintained an army of
800,00 men, while their regular army was composed of merely 30,000
or 40,000-fewer than 100,000 men even if the guerrilla forces were
included. I told them then that the enemy would surely collapse,
and the population would grow if they persevered till victory. The
French troops withdrew after negotiations, and they have now
completed the withdrawal, leaving but a few naval bases. In Algeria
it was a national democratic revolution led by the bourgeoisie.
Both you and we are Communists, and concerning the questions of
mobilizing the masses and carrying out a people's war, Algeria is
different from you and us.
Some specific questions in connection with a people's war that I
mentioned in my writings are affairs of 10 or 20 years ago. You are
meeting new situations at present, so a lot of your ways of dealing
with them are and ought to be different from ours in the past. We
learned how to fight step by step and frequently suffered defeat in
the beginning; it was not so smooth as for you.
I haven't yet taken note of what questions you are going to
discuss with the U.S. I heed only how to fight the Americans and
how to expel them. You may negotiate with them at a certain time,
but you ought not to lower your tone; always keep it at a high key.
You must be prepared to be deceived by the enemy.
We support you to win final victory. Faith in victory is derived
from fighting, from struggle. For instance, the Americans are
subject to attack and this experience can be gained only through
fighting them. The Americans are subject to attack, I said, and
they can be defeated. We must break down that sort of myth, that
the Americans cannot be attacked or defeated. We both have had a
lot of experience. Both you and we fought the Japanese; you also
fought the French, and now you are fighting the Americans.
The Americans have trained and educated the Vietnamese people,
and they have likewise educated us and people the world over. In my
opinion, it would be no good without the Americans; it is necessary
to have this teacher. One must learn from the Americans if one
wants to defeat them. The works of Marx didn't teach us how to
fight the Americans, nor did Lenin's books. We chiefly learn from
the Americans.
The Chinese people and the peoples of the whole world are
supporting you. The more friends, the better.
(PLA Daily)