New title and comment drafted for the distribution of Huan Xiang's [1] report
(November 1958)

I
The imperialists are beset with internal contradictions; the initiative is in our hands
(Huan Xiang's report) [2]

II
Please ask Xiaoping [3] to print and distribute.

Mao

Published according to Mao Zedong's manuscript.

Notes
[1] Huan Xiang was at that time chargé d'affaires at the Chinese embassy in the United Kingdom.
[2] This is the new title Mao Zedong drafted for the distribution of Huan Xiang's report of November 26, 1958, at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the CPC. In his report, Huan Xiang said: Since the Soviet Union proposed the initiative to end the four-power occupation statute of Berlin, the West has been in a state of panic and confusion. Although this initiative only involves the question of the status of Berlin, it in fact touches upon the question of who is for and who is against the genuine peaceful unification of Germany. In the past, the various imperialist countries in the West had always paid lip service to German unification, but in their bones they sought to deepen and perpetuate Germany's division. The German people are very dissatisfied with this. Many people in the ruling class are uneasy about this. At present, on the European question, the contradictions among the imperialists are very prominent. The struggle between the upper and lower strata is in the ascendant, the storm against the U.S.-U.K. alliance's manipulation of the NATO group is still raging, and now the open and secret struggles over the German question and the European security question have been re-intensified by the Berlin question. Since the imperialist camp is beset with internal contradictions, the initiative in the international political struggle, whether viewed from the Far East or from Europe, is proven to be held only in the hands of the socialist camp. The imperialists are not having an easy time.
[3] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who was at that time General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC.