Telegram to Liu Shaoqi and Hu Qiaomu [1] Regarding the Revision of the Xinhua News Agency Editorial “A New Era of Sino-Soviet Friendship and Cooperation” (February 14, 1950) (For Immediate Delivery)  Shaoqi, Qiaomu: Please make the following immediate revisions to the Xinhua News Agency editorial “A New Era of Sino-Soviet Friendship and Cooperation,” after which it is to be broadcast tonight together with the treaty.

(1) In the first paragraph, delete the seventeen characters “the Supplementary Agreement to the Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance between China and the Soviet Union”; also delete the twenty-two characters “the exchange of notes between the foreign ministers of China and the Soviet Union, as well as the protocols pertaining to the aforementioned agreement”; further delete the nine characters “and the Sino-Soviet Civil Aviation Agreement”; then remove the four characters “and its annexes”; finally, eliminate the seven characters “and the Civil Aviation Agreement.” In total, fifty-nine characters are to be deleted from the first paragraph.

(2) In the second paragraph, in the first sentence, under the two characters “the treaty,” there are fifteen characters—“and various other agreements, protocols, and exchanges of notes”—from which we shall delete “various” and “protocols and exchanges of notes,” a total of eight characters, leaving only “and other agreements indicate” seven characters.

(3) In the third paragraph, delete the nineteen characters “namely, the 1945 Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance and other exchanges of notes”; moreover, in the phrase “this treaty and other exchanges of notes,” replace the two characters “exchanges of notes” with “agreements.”

(4) In the seventh paragraph, delete the nine characters “and the Sino-Soviet Civil Aviation Agreement”; also delete the forty-three characters “at the same time, China will sell to the Soviet Union strategic raw materials of which the latter is deficient, in order to repay the Soviet loan; this point is likewise advantageous to the Soviet side.”

(5) In the eighth paragraph, change the two characters “various” to “two.”

(6) Delete the entire ninth paragraph, that is, remove the fifty-three characters “The Supplementary Agreement to the Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance between China and the Soviet Union is a necessary measure to safeguard the defense interests of both countries, and this measure is beneficial to both China and the Soviet Union.”

(7) With regard to the above deletions and revisions, please have Comrade Qiaomu take charge of making the corrections and ensuring their accuracy. Comrade Shaoqi is requested to conduct a final careful review, so as to leave no room for regret and to ensure complete consistency with the texts of the treaties and agreements published by both the Chinese and Soviet sides. Otherwise, any discrepancies would have a very adverse effect. Please pay close attention—this is of utmost importance!

Mao Zedong, 5:00 A.M., February 14, printed from the manuscript.

Notes [1] Hu Qiaomu was at that time Director of the General Administration of Press and Publications of the Central People’s Government.