(May 25, 1974)





　　[Edward Heath, born Edward Richard George “Ted” Heath (1916–2005), was a British military officer and politician from Broadstairs, Kent. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975 and as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974. His greatest achievement during his premiership was successfully leading Britain into the European Economic Community.]






　　Chairman: (to Heath) I voted for you! (Heath nods happily, smiling)

　　May I ask you a question? (Heath nods) Do you think Nixon can survive the Watergate scandal?

　　Heath: In my personal opinion, he can stay in office. His situation is very difficult, but having met him many times and knowing him well, I believe he is determined to continue as president.

　　Chairman: Mm.

　　Heath: Let me add one more point. Nixon’s opponents—the Democrats—given their own political prospects, would actually prefer him to remain in office, because that would make it easier for them to win the next election. If there were a change in the presidency before the next election, the Republicans’ position would be greatly strengthened.

　　Chairman: We don’t understand this Watergate Affair—why has it caused such a big uproar? Will something like this happen in Britain?

　　Heath: It’s impossible for such a thing to happen in Britain.

　　Chairman: Could it happen in Britain?

　　Heath: No, because the prime minister would deal with it very quickly. When I was prime minister, I handled a similar incident involving two ministers. Within twenty-four hours of the incident, I had both of them removed from their posts. That is the only way to resolve such matters.

　　Chairman: We Easterners just don’t get it.

　　Premier: It’s made into such a huge fuss!

　　Chairman: Exactly. Why bother? It’s pointless—just taking advantage of an issue.

　　Heath: May I ask the Chairman a question? (The Chairman nods) Does the Chairman feel that the Watergate affair has made it more difficult for China to establish relations with the United States, or for China to pursue its foreign policy toward the U.S. and President Nixon?

　　Chairman: Not really.

　　Let me ask another question: when exactly did your European security conference finally succeed? (Laughter)

　　Heath: (laughing) It would be much easier to answer when that conference will collapse! (Laughter)

　　Chairman: That’s right. We’re in complete agreement. My unclear speech has even made me sick.

　　It’s mainly these two countries. If there are further problems, could the two superpowers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union, truly reconcile?

　　Heath: I think it depends on whether the United States can maintain its resolve. The Soviet Union has now made a firm decision and possesses a strong organizational structure to further strengthen its power. The United States, on the other hand, has been through a difficult period. They failed to achieve their objectives in Vietnam and ultimately had to withdraw their troops. There are also racial issues within the U.S. For these reasons, the U.S. has not been able to continuously enhance its strength as the Soviet Union has done. Strength and determination are the only factors the Soviets respect. If the Soviets perceive that the U.S. is weakening, they will try to exploit that weakness. Therefore, it is very important for Europe to unite and, on the basis of unity, develop its own strength.

　　Chairman: Once this CSCE collapses, those two powers won’t be able to reach an agreement.

　　Heath: I believe there will not be much progress on fundamental issues at this security conference.

　　Chairman: Then a genuine reconciliation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union will never happen?

　　Heath: I think as long as the United States remains determined to uphold its position, the Soviet Union will have to acknowledge and accept that position; they will respect it.

　　Premier: There won’t be any real détente then.

　　Chairman: (looking around and pointing to Comrade Qiao Guanhua) He’s a lord—Lord Chiao! (laughter) Why don’t you say something? You’re being awfully quiet; you’ve got too little courage!

　　Qiao: Earlier, Mr. Heath mentioned whether it might be possible for the Soviet Union to respect the United States if the U.S. were to strengthen its position. The current problem, however, is that the Soviet Union believes the U.S. position can be weakened, which is why they are adopting their present stance. Therefore, what Mr. Heath said reflects merely a temporary state in the mutual struggle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

　　Chairman: I didn’t hear that. (Tang repeats what Qiao said.) Please translate it for him (pointing to Heath).

　　(To Heath) Doesn’t the Soviet Union face any difficulties?

　　Heath: I believe the Soviet Union has many difficulties. They have domestic economic problems, numerous agricultural challenges, and I suspect there are also divisions within the leadership. (The Chairman raises his glass in a toast to Heath.) However, the disagreements within their leadership concern strategy and timing.

　　Chairman: It seems to me they are already overwhelmed. They can’t handle Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, China, or the Pacific. I think they will lose out.

　　Heath: Nevertheless, their military power continues to grow. We can see that their submarine fleet is larger than the combined fleets of all Western nations, and their missiles are constantly being improved and becoming more advanced. Thus, although the Soviet Union faces problems in many parts of the world, its overall strength is steadily increasing. That is why we consider it the main threat. But does the Chairman really believe the Soviet Union poses no threat to China?

　　Chairman: We are prepared for it. But once it arrives, it will collapse! They only have a few soldiers, yet you Europeans are so afraid of them! A certain segment of Western public opinion keeps trying to direct Russia’s aggressive tendencies toward China every day. (Heath and Ai shake their heads.) Your own elder statesman Chamberlain, along with Daladier, were the ones who encouraged Germany to move eastward.

　　Heath: I was opposed to Mr. Chamberlain at the time.

　　Chairman: I’m mainly referring to American public opinion.

　　Heath: If Europe is weak and divided, the Russians might use their sheer strength to influence Europe without needing to worry about defense or make defensive preparations. If Europe remains weak, Russia could very well realize its ambitions regarding China. Therefore, a strong Europe is crucial—it can give the Soviet Union cause for concern.

　　Chairman: We’d be delighted if Europe became stronger.

　　I rarely see reports in the British press suggesting that the Soviet Union is planning to attack China; such claims are quite rare.

　　Heath: Are the differences between China and the Soviet Union primarily ideological, or do they stem from the Soviet Union’s pursuit of power? How does the Chairman assess the Soviet Union’s goals and motives toward China?

　　Chairman: The border disputes are driven by ideology. (Turning to Comrade Deng Xiaoping) How many years has this been going on?

　　Deng Xiaoping (hereafter referred to as Deng): Since 1956, starting with the Twentieth Congress, when the issue of peaceful transition arose.

　　Premier: The Bucharest Conference was in 1960.

　　Deng: It continued until 1964, after which the conflict subsided. So it lasted eight years.

　　Chairman: We should count from 1954. Because in 1955 Adenauer went to Moscow, and Khrushchev immediately told him that China was becoming a major force. That’s how it’s recorded in Adenauer’s memoirs.



Thanks to Ayana Sakura for collecting, entering, and proofreading.