Speech at Moscow Airport
(November 2, 1957)

Source: RMRB (Nov. 3, 1957), 1. Other Chinese Texts: XHBYK, 122 (Dec. 25,
1957), 13; Buyi, pp. 148~149; Zai Sulian yanlun, pp. 1-2; URI(1976), pp. 403-404;
XHBYK, 144 (Nov. 25, 1958), 2~3, 8 (excerpt). Available English Translations:
NCNA, Daily News Release (Nov. 3, 1957), 1-2: S. Schram (1969), pp. 435-436;
URI (1976), pp. 405—406.

For the three weeks from November 2 to November 21, 1957, Mao was in the
Soviet Union as head of the Chinese delegation to the celebration of the fortieth
anniversary of the October Revolution, and to the Twelve-Nation Congress of
Communist Parties and Workers’ Parties in Socialist Countries which was held
November 14-16, and to a Sixty-Four Nation Congress of Communist Parties and
Workers’ Parties held November 17-19. This is the first of many speeches that Mao
would make in the Soviet Union during his visit. Although Mao’ s official capacity on
this visit was a celebratory one, it is clear enough now that much of what he did in
the Soviet Union had to do with ascertaining to his own satisfaction the position of
the leadership of the CPSU on a number of critical issues: on Stalin and Khrushchev’ s
criticism of Stalin; on the Soviet Union’ s position with regard to the revolutionary
movements in Eastern Europe and the counterrevolutionary activities there; ideological issues with regard to the ideas of “peaceful coexistence” and “peaceful transition” ; and so on. It is evident that Mao did not obtain satisfaction on these issues
during the visit, and in spite of the generally conciliatory attitude that he, quite
naturally, adopted while in the Soviet Union, he would, in later years, look back on
this visit as a time when he was able to confirm the divergence of orientation and
opinion between himself (and his own faction in the leadership of the CPC) on the
one hand and the Khrushchev-led CPSU “revisionist” leadership on the other.
Although it is not apparent from the surface of the language of these speeches, this
was a crucial period of transition leading toward the eventual rift between the Soviet
Union and the PRC.

Donald Zagoria has written an early discussion on the subject of this conference
and the eventual dispute between China and the Soviet Union. See D. Zagoria
(July—Sept. 1961).

Dear Comrade Khrushchev, Comrade Voroshilov, and Comrade Bulganin,
Dear Comrades and Friends:

On this occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Great Socialist October
Revolution, we comrades of the Chinese delegation, entrusted by the Chinese


758 {/ MAO ZEDONG

people, have come to Moscow to express our high respect and warm congratulations to our brothers in the Soviet Union.

I visited the Soviet Union at the end of 1949 and the beginning of 1950.! At that
time the governments of our two countries signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of
Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance, at which point the close union
between our two great socialist countries began.

[When] the delegations of the Soviet Union, headed by Comrade Khrushchev
and Comrade Voroshilov visited China successively, they both invited me to visit
your great country once again.3 Recently the government of the Soviet Union and
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union invited the
Chinese government and the Communist Party of China to send a delegation to
participate in the celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the Great Socialist
October Revolution. For these friendly invitations, my comrades and I myself
would like to express our deepest gratitude.

The October Revolution Festival is a great triumphal festival for the people of
the Soviet Union and also a great triumphal festival for the proletariat, the masses
of the working people, and all oppressed people throughout the world. The victory
that the people of the Soviet Union, under the leadership of the great Lenin and the
great Communist Party of the Soviet Union, won forty years ago created a new era
in the history of the human race. In the course of forty years of construction, the
Soviet Union has achieved brilliant successes at an extraordinarily rapid pace, and
in many areas it stands in the foremost rank among the countries of the world,
setting an outstanding example for peoples who are in pursuit of progress and
happiness. The launching of the first artificial Earth satellite by the Soviet Union
was no simple matter.4 Since then a new era has begun in mankind’s [efforts] to
conquer nature further.

The socialist camp headed by the great Soviet Union is the strong bastion that
guarantees peace in the world, and the faithful friend of all people who refuse to
be oppressed and enslaved by imperialism. Right now U.S. imperialism is directing
its spearhead of aggression and war against the Arab nations, against independent
Syria.5 Such an aggressive intent carries with it the danger of igniting a world war.
The Chinese government and the Chinese people firmly support the just struggle
of the Syrian people and of the Arab people as a whole. The Chinese government
fully agrees with the grave and just warning that the government of the Soviet
Union has issued to the aggressors. All people throughout the world should be on
the alert and strive to keep in check the imperialists’ war conspiracy and to
safeguard world peace.

The October Revolution has enabled the Chinese people to find the road to
complete emancipation and prosperity and strength. In [advancing] their own
cause, the Chinese people have received tremendous sympathy and generous
assistance from the people of the Soviet Union. The people of our two countries
have formed a fraternal alliance through our common struggle. There is no force
in the world that can separate us.

Comrades, we will stand together forever and strive for world peace and the
victory of our common cause.