VICTOR LOUIS: PRC HAS 1 MONTH TO FORMULATE NEW POLICY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-113-4-10-0
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: January 5, 2010
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: October 14, 1976
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/01/05: LOC-HAK-113-4-10-0
a 40
Ill. 15 Oct 76 U S S R I N T E R N A T I O N A L
.~.~......_... ,...___.-.,_,CHINA .
VICTOR LOUIS: PRC HAS 1 MONTH TO F0114UL1U'E NEW POLICY
Paris FRANCE-SOIR in French 14 Oct 76 p 7 LD
[Victor Louis article: "Moscow Is Waiting For a Gesture From Peking"; first paragraph
is editorial introduction]
[Text] What does the Soviet Union think about the recent upheavals in China? Has the
elimination of Mao Tse-tung's widow raised any hopes in Moscow? Victor Louis--the only
Soviet journalist who contributes to Western papers and also the only journalist who acts
as his government is unofficial spokesman--explains.
The events in China are seen as very important in Moscow. It is believed that, in any
case, seething was bound to happen after Maois death.
For the time being, the fact that the most anti-Soviet of the Chinese leaders have been
eliminated has been welcomed. Chiang Ching, Mao's widow, was the best known among them.
As long as she was there there was no chance of a reconciliation between China and
Russia and Soviet commentators used to criticize her severely.
It is generally believed in Moscow that there still are some Chinese military leaders of
the older generation with whom it could still be possible to reach an agreement. Many
of them were trained by the Soviets, some of them in the Soviet Union itself. It is also
believed that these men are not the only people in China who know from experience that
without Soviet military and economic aid their country would never have achieved its
present status and importance in the international sphere. It is therefore believed in
Moscow that they still realize the need to find a common language with their Soviet
neighbor.
Furthermore, these men are capable of accurately assessing Soviet military might and of
realizing that it is not a paper tiger.
This is what certain Soviet people believe, and they refuse to accept that the Chinese
with whom they came into contact In military academies would have changed so much.
However, the new generation of Soviet leaders is much less sentimental than the men who
used to know these Chinese personally. This is why this could be China's last chance to
admit that the "elders." who for several years have been able to prevent the Soviet Union
from making an irreversible decision, were right.
Now that Mao and several other people with whom Moscow could have negotiated--Chou En-lax
and Chu Te, for inst-nce--havot departed, both the rising forces in China and the Soviets
advocating patience will still be able to maintain their position for some time, even if
new anti-Soviet statements are delivered by the Chinese leadership, for they will always
be able to assert that no one can expect to see the Peking regime change so rapidly. But
how long will this argument remain valid? The USSR had some good reasons for waiting for
Maois demis., once he turned 30. But such an attitude would be incorrect toward Hua Kuo-
feng, who ig much younger. It terms that China's new policy should emerge within the
coring month and that the Soviets, who in the past adopted a '"wait and see" attitude,
will be unable to maintain it any longer. Even now they represent only a very small
minority.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/01/05: LOC-HAK-1 13-4-10-0