Marginal Note on an Internal Document [I]
(June 2, 1965)
To be read by Jiang Qing. This is an analysis by a research institute; it may be worth a look. They believe that war could break out immediately. In my view, this may or may not be the case; it might not happen for some time yet. If hostilities do not commence until one, two, or three years from now, we will be prepared. Nevertheless, we should base our preparations on the assumption that war could begin at any moment. The Central Committee has already made a decision to this effect.12 1


Mao Zedong
June 2, in Hangzhou


[ I] This marginal note was written on the article “An Examination of U.S. Intentions to Escalate the War Based on the Disputes Within the U.S. Ruling Clique over the Vietnam Issue,” which appeared in the fifteenth issue of “Trends in Imperialism,” compiled and published by the Institute of International Relations on May 3, 1965. The article states that the various peace-negotiation schemes hatched by the Johnson administration regarding Vietnam have all failed one after another, and that the strategy of gradually intensifying bombing raids against North Vietnam has yielded no results whatsoever. At present, there is fierce contention within the U.S. ruling circles over whether to extend the bombing campaign to Hanoi and Haiphong. These internal disputes clearly indicate that the Johnson administration is indeed actively preparing to further escalate the war and engage China in a direct confrontation. However, such a policy faces strong domestic opposition and considerable pressure from within the ruling elite itself. Consequently, the Johnson administration intends to intensify its “peace-talks” offensive in order to sway public opinion, extricate itself from its predicament, and accumulate “political capital” for further military escalation. Simultaneously, under the cover of this diplomatic offensive, it will continue to accelerate all preparatory measures for war. It is estimated that the United States will not yet expand its bombing campaign to Hanoi and Haiphong in the near term, but the intensity of air strikes in the existing bombing zones will likely increase further.
[2]
Refers to the “Instructions of the CPC Central Committee on Strengthening War Preparedness,” issued on April 14, 1965.