Annotations on the Article "My Talks with Mao" by Montgomery [1]
(June 20, 1960)
[1]
Montgomery, former British Field Marshal, now retired.
[2]
Published in the British newspaper *The Sunday Times* on June 12, 1960. In the article, Montgomery gives a detailed account of his visit to China in late May and his talks with Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. He states that he visited China over 30 years ago, when the old China was suffering under the dual oppression of foreign aggression and internal feudalism, making revolution seem inevitable, with Mao Zedong as its leader; Mao is an extremely attractive person, highly intelligent, very practical in handling problems, possesses an astonishing understanding of the Western world, and makes very accurate comments on some political leaders; Mao's basic philosophy is very simple, namely that the people play the decisive role, therefore cadres are required to work at the grassroots level for one month each year, to maintain contact with the people and win their trust; China needs peace and is engaged in long-term and arduous construction, therefore it will not commit aggression externally, nor attempt to force other countries to accept its communist ideology; the Chinese people are probably the most industrious people in the world, united together and striving for the prosperity of the motherland, therefore in 50 years China will become a powerful nation, and "the Western world had better make friends with this new China"; the Western world holds many mistaken views about the new China, Mao attaches great importance to ties with the British people, but the intensity of the Chinese people's hatred for U.S. imperialism is astonishing; the current "three magic weapons"—the General Line, the Great Leap Forward, and the People's Communes—are the foundation of the efforts of the entire Chinese people, having markedly accelerated work, with everyone full of drive; Mao has established a unified country where everyone is dedicated and has a sense of purpose; the Chinese army made a "profound impression" on him, possessing "an ample supply of high-quality personnel," and the militia organization extends throughout the country, therefore anyone invading China "would come to great grief."

Complete Works of Mao Zedong
Volume 43
Jiang Qing:
This document [III] can be read, it is very interesting. Montgomery, in his talks with me and the Premier, highly praised the great drive of the Chinese people, their desire for peace and non-aggression, and that great achievements can be made within fifty years. He said the Chinese revolution was correct and inevitable.
Mao Zedong
Morning of the 20th
[III]
Refers to the report "British Newspaper Publishes Montgomery's First Article on His Visit to China" carried in *Reference Materials* Issue No. 3660, compiled and printed by the Xinhua News Agency on the afternoon of June 16, 1960. The report stated that the British newspaper *The Sunday Times* published the full text of Montgomery's first article on his impressions of visiting China on June 12, entitled "My Talks with Mao."