April 1946

[This document was written to counter a pessimistic appraisal of the
international situation at that time. In the spring of 1946, imperialism
headed by the United States of America, together with the reactionaries in
various countries, was daily intensifying its anti-Soviet, anti-Communist
and anti-popular activities and trumpeting that "war between the United States
and the Soviet Union is inevitable" and that "the outbreak of a third world
war is inevitable". In these circumstances, since some comrades overestimated
the strength of imperialism, underestimated the strength of the people, feared
U.S. imperialism and feared the outbreak of a new world war, they showed
weakness in the face of the armed attacks of the U.S.-Chiang Kai-shek reactionary
gang and dared not resolutely oppose counter-revolutionary war with revolutionary
war. In this document Comrade Mao Tse-tung was combating such erroneous thinking.
He pointed out that if the forces of the people throughout the world waged
resolute, effective struggles against the forces of world reaction, they
could overcome the danger of a new world war. At the same time, he pointed
out that it was possible for the imperialist countries and the socialist
countries to reach certain compromises but that such compromises do "not
require the people in the countries of the capitalist world to follow suit
and make compromises at home", and that "the people in those countries will
continue to wage different struggles in accordance with their different
conditions". This document was not made public at the time and was circulated
only among some leading comrades of the Central Committee. It was distributed
at the meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in
December 1947. Since the comrades present unanimously agreed with its contents,
the full text was later included in "A Circular on the Decisions Made at
the Central Committee Meeting of December 1947", issued by the Central Committee
in January 1948.]

1. The forces of world reaction are definitely preparing a third world war,
and the danger of war exists. But the democratic forces of the people of
the world have surpassed the reactionary forces and are forging ahead; they
must and certainly can overcome the danger of war. Therefore, the question
in the relations between the United States, Britain and France and the Soviet
Union is not a question of compromise or break, but a question of compromise
earlier or compromise later. "Compromise" means reaching agreement through
peaceful negotiation. "Earlier or later" means several years, or more than
ten years, or even longer.

2. The kind of compromise mentioned above does not mean compromise on all
international issues. That is impossible so long as the United States, Britain
and France continue to be ruled by reactionaries. This kind of compromise
means compromise on some issues, including certain important ones. But there
will not be many such compromises in the near future. There is, however,
a possibility that the trade relations of the United States, Britain and
France with the Soviet Union will expand.

3. Such compromise between the United States, Britain and France and the
Soviet Union can be the outcome only of resolute, effective struggles by
all the democratic forces of the world against the reactionary forces of
the United States, Britain and France. Such compromise does not require the
people in the countries of the capitalist world to follow suit and make
compromises at home. The people in those countries will continue to wage
different struggles in accordance with their different conditions. The principle
of the reactionary forces in dealing with the democratic forces of the people
is definitely to destroy all they can and to prepare to destroy later whatever
they cannot destroy now. Face to face with this situation, the democratic
forces of the people should likewise apply the same principle to the reactionary
forces.

Transcription by the Maoist Documentation Project.