ZONE VARY IN NATURE*
(January 3, 1962)
I thank Japanese friends and all friends who are struggling against the
oppression and exploitation of imperialism and its agents, for your struggle is
ours, too. We are in the same position. U.S. imperialism pushes the Japanese
around and pushes the Chinese around. It can be said that most of the people
in the world are oppressed and pushed around by U.S. imperialism. As for our
two countries and some neighboring countries, our Taiwan is dominated by
the United States, whose Seventh Fleet is stationed there. In your Japan there
are many military bases controlled by the United States, which has naval ports,
air bases and even bases for the Marine Corps. In addition, South Korea, South
Vietnam, Laos and Thailand are all dominated by the United States. Even
Britain and France are pushed around by the United States.
The people do not trust the running dogs of the United States. All running
dogs of the United States come to no good ends. In Latin America there are
quite a few running dogs of the United States, but the people do not trust
them. For example, Batista,^^' as everyone knows, the people did not trust him
and drove him away. The circumstances of South Korea are also worth looking
into. The people did not trust Syngman Rhee,®® and the United States had to
remove him. Now they have put up a new replacement in the person of Park
Chung Hee.^'^ Park Chung Hee and company are dissatisfied with the United
States, too. The 700,000 South Korean troops had been under the command
of the United States. Now Park Chung Hee and company have managed to
get more than 100,000 free from the command of the United States and put
them under their own command. The United States was forced to make such
a concession. Control by the United States is very tight, and their troops are
under the command of the United States as well; and they are not happy about
this situation. In Taiwan the United States attempted to nurture an opposition
* These are excerpts from Mao Zedong s talk with Yasui Kaoru, chief director of the
Japan Council Against A & H Bombs.
to Chiang Kai-shek, headed by Hu Shi,^® which was suppressed by Chiang
Kai-shek. Chiang Kai-shek put his troops under his own command and the
U.S. Military Advisory Group are not allowed to go below regiment level.
They are allowed to conduct activities only at levels above it. Chiang Kai-shek
does not allow the U.S. Army to land in Taiwan and he tells the United States
it is sufficient to send the Seventh Fleet and Air Force. "I have my army, so
why should you send over your army?" he says. Ngo Dinh Diem^^ is jittery,
too. He allows the United States to send over only a military advisory group,
not troops. Chiang Kai-shek and Ngo Dinh Diem are constantly in touch.
Chiang Kai-shek says to Ngo Dinh Diem, "You should never allow the U.S.
Army into your country. If you do, you will be done for." Sarit^^^ of Thailand
does not allow the United States to station troops in his country, either.
Thailand is a member state of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.'^ The
United States wants to set up military bases there, but Thailand does not allow
it to do so. There are contradictions even between them and the United States.
Because of their association with the United States, they stink and the people
therefore no longer trust them. When the United States sees that the people
have no trust in people like Syngman Rhee, it has to replace them. Such are
the circumstances.
To a large extent, the position of West Germany is similar to that of
Japan. However, the West German people have not come up with a strong
trend against the United States and imperialism and for democracy and peace
like that of the Japanese people. The monopoly capitalists of West Germany
want to collaborate with the United States and resist it at the same time, which
is similar to Japan. We call these places the intermediate zone. The socialist
bloc can be counted as one side, and the United States, the other. Everything
in between can be counted as part of the intermediate zone. However,
countries in the intermediate zone are different in nature: countries like
Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands possess colonies. Other countries
have been deprived of colonies, but have strong monopoly capital, such as
West Germany and Japan. Some countries have gained genuine independence,
such as Guinea, the United Arab Republic,”® Mali and Ghana. Other countries
are independent in name, but dependent in fact. The countries of the
intermediate zone are varied in kind and different in nature, but the United
States wants to swallow them all up.
U.S. imperialism and its running dogs are the oppressors, exploiters and
bullies. The running dogs of the United States in China, Japan and various
countries and the United States together form one side of the contradiction,
the other side being people the world over, including the working class,

peasants, urban petty bourgeoisie, revolutionary national bourgeoisie and
revolutionary intellectuals. Britain and France are imperialists, but they are
medium-size imperialist countries which the big imperialist power, the United
States, wants to eat up; so there are contradictions between them and the
United States. They have a hard time too. As such, they may serve as indirect
allies of the people. In Japan Matsumura Kenzo,^”^ Ishibashi Tanzan^®' and
Takasake Tatsunosuke^*" are not too happy with the United States. They are
different from Ikeda Hayato^^^ and can be taken as indirect allies of the people.
For the Algerian people, French imperialism is not an ally but an
opponent, an oppressor that lords it over the Algerian people. It has 600,000
troops at war against the Algerian people. To Africa, Britain, France, Belgium
and Portugal are no friends. One advantage is that there are contradictions
between them and the United States. In Africa and Asia there are colonies of
Britain and France or countries dependent on them, and even in the formally
independent countries they retain strong investments. The United States wants
to squeeze Britain and France out of those places, to replace old colonialists
with new ones. The United States, for example, wants to take over Algeria,
for there are very large oil deposits in the Sahara area in southern Algeria.
France is developing that area, and there are contradictions between its oil
capitalist group and the American oil barons.
You asked about the nature of the Cuban revolution. In my view, the
Cuban revolution is a nationalist democratic one, a nationalist one against U.S.
imperialism and a struggle against the Batista clique, compradore capital and
feudalism. It is yet to be seen which direction it will take in the future. It is
definite and firm against imperialism and feudalism. There is no strong
national capital there, only small national industry and commerce. It is just
like the Japanese monopoly capital in northeast China. Japan did not support
Chinese national capital there, but set up small factories with tens or hundreds
of workers that did processing for the big Japanese industries. As a result, after
the Japanese left, there was no strong national bourgeoisie there as in Shanghai,
Tianjin and Beijing. No such class had come into being. France did the same
in Vietnam. Japan did the same in Korea, not allowing the Koreans to build
their industries, while the Japanese themselves developed some industries.
Anshan Steel in northeast China was also built up by the Japanese. I am afraid
that the situation in Africa is the same; imperialism will not allow the local
people to run big industries. For example, in Guinea there are several big
factories, all run by foreigners.
I am very happy to see the Japanese people waging struggles against the
oppression of imperialism and monopoly capital. The struggles of the Japanese
people against the U.S.-Japan "Security Pact"^" and against acts of political
violence^'"' are developing wave upon wave, which is really gratifying. I can
sense it directly. Since 1950 I have been meeting Japanese friends almost every
year, and it is my feeling that the mental outlook of Japanese friends in recent
years has changed a lot from that of 1957 and before. A few years ago I could
see in your faces worry and confusion. Your spirit of struggle was suppressed
and dared not find expression. Later, especially since 1959 and 1960, things
changed. The Japanese people have risen up, no longer afraid of the United
States. The United States has lain like a dead weight over your backs. In the
past you were prudent and cautious. In recent years you have started to struggle
against it. The change that has occurred in the mental outlook of Japanese
friends visiting China reflects the growing militant spirit of the Japanese
people and the development of their actual struggle.
The Japanese people have become bolder, no longer afraid of devils; that
is to say, no longer afraid of the devil of U.S. imperialism, the devil of Kishi
Nobusuke,^"^ and the devil of Ikeda Hayato. The Japanese people have
strengthened their confidence in struggle. "We have published a book called
Stories of Not Being Afraid of Devils. (To Liao Chengzhi^"') Is there a Japanese
version of it? Give them one each.
(From the verbatim record)