Oppressed People Ought Not To Yield

Date: 1960-05-17
Source: en:FLP-Diplomacy
OPPRESSED PEOPLE OUGHT NOT TO YIELD*
(May 17, 1960)
A few days ago I met some Cuban friends. Their victory came rather fast,
in a matter of only two years or more. At the beginning, merely 82 people
took a boat from Mexico to Cuba. They did not know how to fight, but put
up an adventurous fight. Of the 82, 70 were killed and 12 survived. Fidel
Castro was one of the survivors. What was there for the 12 to do? They
moved to the mountains and changed their tactics, which gave rise to
development. There were more setbacks later, which educated them. In the
end, they attained victory. Cuba's population is smaller than yours, only six
million. U.S. imperialism is very close to them, only half an hour by flight.
Having fought for over two years, they attained independence on January 1,
1959, and established their own government. I said to them, "You did better
than we. We fought for 22 years, whereas you fought for only some two
years." They are on an isolated island and have to seek assistance from other
countries. The broad masses of Latin American people are giving them
assistance. We are giving them some assistance, too. With them the problem
of whether the United States will intervene or not is not solved yet. Two
possibilities are open: There will be U.S. military intervention, or there will
not be. They are redistributing the land, two thirds of which has already
changed hands. It will be completed soon.
You should be able to maintain your strength and rely on the masses. You
should keep up your efforts, relying mainly on your own efforts while winning
over foreign assistance as a subsidiary. In your war efforts be advised not to
consume too much of your strength, but rather to keep your main force intact
and to consume a bit of enemy strength every day. If your 100,000 troops can
be maintained and grow, victory will be yours. Time is not on the side of the
French. It is on your side. You have already gone on for six years and you
should keep going. In six more years I don't see why you should not gain
* These are excerpts from Mao Zedong's talk with the delegation of the Provisional
Government of the Republic of Algeria.
victory.
As you have said, the war will last long and you will rely on yourselves
and on your own people. We very much agree as we also called for a protracted
war. It is also your principle to take first place yourselves. However, other
countries have the obligation to give you assistance. You have organized a
broad united front that embraces people of all strata. All those opposed to the
French are included in the united front. You call it the National Liberation
Front, a very good name that can unite many parties. As the war drags on,
different views are bound to come up. It will be very good if unity can be
maintained. Efforts should be made to unite as many people as possible in
order to isolate France and not be isolated.
Imperialists and their running dogs are few in number, accounting for
only one tenth of the world's population at most. France has a population of
45 million, but they are not monolithic. Most of them are working people
who are being oppressed. You should work among the French people. There
are 400,000 Algerians in France, a potential to be tapped to work against
French colonialists and help you.
On the surface, U.S. imperialism is powerful, but it has its weaknesses, as
it arouses the opposition of many people. The South Korean people, for
instance, have risen up against U.S. imperialism and its running dogs. So have
the broad masses of the Turkish and Japanese peoples. No one expected the
Iraqi revolution to happen on July 14, 1958, a situation that is to your
advantage. Nor had anyone expected that the Cuban revolution would be
brought to victory on January 1, 1959. Many things are beyond people's
expectations. We have not expected them to happen, nor have the imperialists.
But they did happen, what can you do? The Cuban revolution is also in your
favor. Africa is much different from two years ago. We have met many
African and Latin American friends, who are in very high spirits. In Latin
America the struggle is spearheaded against the United States, whereas in
Africa it is against France, the United Kingdom and Belgium.
We support all anti-imperialist forces; at the same time they give us
support. This is the broadest possible united front of the world's antiimperialist forces. Difficulties are only temporary; the future is always bright.
As a friend of yours, I have made the above points for your reference. I believe
that you will not accuse me of interfering with your internal affairs. We are
Communists. Imperialism says all revolutions are made by Communists, which
is pure fabrication. When you were preparing for the revolution, we did not
even know about it. Only when your revolution was going on, did we come
to hear about it. Nor did we know that you were going to set up a provisional

government. After you have established it, we gave our recognition. You have
sent several delegations, which we warmly welcome.
We stand by your side, not on the side of De Gaulle. I do not fear to
make De Gaulle angry. France does not recognize China, and in Paris there
are still representatives of Chiang Kai-shek. So why should China not support
you and not have relations with you? The United States has occupied our
Taiwan. It recognizes Chiang Kai-shek, not us. They call Chiang Kai-shek "a
good guy" and us "bad guys." De Gaulle also calls us "bad guys," and he calls
you "bad guys," too. Well then, we are "bad guys" having relations with "bad
guys."
Imperialism does not like us, accusing us of committing "aggression." At
first, "aggression" against Chiang Kai-shek. Then we fought with the United
States in Korea, which brought us the nickname of "aggressor." Imperialism
speaks against us. It says that Chiang Kai-shek and Syngman Rhee are very
good. The more imperialism speaks against us the happier we are. We would
just as soon be cursed for a lifetime. If they were to say we are very good, then
would we not be the same as Chiang Kai-shek and Syngman Rhee? Imperialism
calls us ugly names and it does the same to you. You have been cursed for five
and a half years. You should be prepared to be cursed by imperialism and to
be welcomed by the people. Imperialism curses you, but people the world over
all welcome you. We are of the same party. Revolutionary people are of the
same party and on the same front. Here there are still differences, some
believing in communism, some in religion and some in neither of these. There
are workers, peasants and revolutionary intellectuals, and also revolutionary
national bourgeoisie, but all are united against imperialism. As you know,
China carries out a special policy toward the national bourgeoisie. Now they
work with us, having the right to vote and participating in the government.
We reject only compradore bourgeoisie that sided with Chiang Kai-shek and
feudal landlords. Does it mean that compradore bourgeoisie and feudal
landlords should be killed? No. They are given a way out. For example,
landlords are given a plot of land, which allows them to live on their own
labor.
U.S. imperialism has committed aggression against China's Taiwan, yet it
says that we have committed aggression and it has not. U.S. imperialism has
a "good point" — that it is "peace-loving." It bullies the socialist countries, but
the aircraft it sent into the territorial air space of the Soviet Union has been
shot down. The United States "loves peace," so it has provided De Gaulle with
munitions and airplanes for aggression against Algeria. What it truly loves is
something else. It would love to eliminate you, to eliminate us and even to
eliminate De Gaulle, so that only it remains. Isn't that so? De Gaulle is
collaborating with the United States, but between them there are contradictions. In our struggle we should make use of these contradictions among
imperialists.
We have recognized you. The Soviet Union has not done so and there is
a reason for it. The Soviet Union does not wish to fall out with France. If it
did, the United States and France would act more in concert against you. So
the Soviet Union has considered the contradictions among the United States,
the United Kingdom and France. To try to win over the United Kingdom and
France, it has not recognized you. We cannot play such a role. We cannot
give De Gaulle a helping hand, as we have no diplomatic ties with France.
Besides, De Gaulle looks down upon us. We have a large population, but only
a little amount of steel. France has exploded two atom bombs. We have not a
single atom bomb. De Gaulle has reason to look down on us. Those people
can see nothing but money, steel and atom bombs. We are obliged that you
look up to us. We have no atom bombs. We have only some shabby rifles to
give you. In ten years' time we shall have much more steel and also acquire
atom bombs. By then your conditions will have changed also. Oppressed
people just should not yield. They must have a will. Now it is not long live
De Gaulle, long live Macmillan or Eisenhower,'"' but, rather, long live the
people of all countries.
(From the verbatim record)