Discussion between Chen Yi and Nguyen Duy Trinh

CHEN YI AND NGUYEN DUY TRINH^[1]

Beijing, 17 December 1965

Chen Yi: We fully understand that you are determined to fight for the final victory and to unmask the real face of the enemy.  I personally think that the policy is correct and I can agree with you.  In the history of the Chinese revolution, as well as in the history of the Vietnamese struggle, fighting while negotiating has taken place in some periods of time.  We fight the enemy and when we reach certain stages, we start negotiating.  The purpose is to unmask the enemy.  That is correct.  So far, we have held that the war in Vietnam would eventually come to a victory and a peaceful end.  Our two parties agree that the US shows no sign of wanting to have peace.  They just want to open the talks to deceive public opinion.  We also open our political struggle in order to unmask them.  If they want to talk, then we will talk.  This is my personal opinion.  

^{[1] Nguyen Duy Trinh (1910-), was the main ICP/VWP leader in Interzone 5 (the southern part of central Vietnam) during the First Indochina War.  Head of the DRV’s State Planning Commission until 1965, Foreign Minister and member of the Politburo from 1965 to 1979.}