From the Diary of P. F. Yudin: Memorandum of Conversation with Mao Zedong on 5 April 1958

From the diary of P. F. YUDIN

Secret, Copy 1, 19 April 1958

Memorandum of Conversation with MAO ZEDONG

5 April 1958

[Excerpt on Chinese-Yugoslav relations.]

In the course of the talks I [Iudin] reminded them that we in our time had informed the CC CCP of the Bucharest ne gotiations between the CPSU and the Communist Party of Yugoslavia, headed by Com. Khrushchev and Tito. I pointed out that the obligations contained in the secret communique signed in Bucharest have now been broken by the Yugoslavs. Mao Zedong noted that Tito had proved himself an unreliable partner more than once. Zhou Enlai, in his turn, said that “Tito is simply being a hooligan [khuliganit ].”^[1]

Then Mao spoke on Chinese-Yugoslav relations. We, he said, never repudiated our support of the Cominform decision of 1948, but we were not in agreement with the Cominform resolution of 1949. It put us all in a passive situation and Tito even today constantly reminds us of this resolution.  Stalin didn’t have to take such rude actions toward Yugoslavia, noted Mao. After Stalin’s death, as you know, energetic efforts were undertaken to normalize relations with Yugoslavia.  We want to have good relations with the Yugoslavs, but Tito remains the same.  He undertook two maneuvers against us: In 1956 / in connection with the Hungarian events / and now. These maneuvers had the same general goal: to export his ideas and force them on others ...

[Mao then retells the story of ignoring Yugoslav recognition in 1949. See Doc.2 above.]

The PRC did not answer the Yugoslavs’ offer of recognition until 1955. In this way, said Mao Zedong, we broke up their intention to drive a wedge into Soviet-Chinese relations.

^[1] One can only wonder which of Chinese’s rich vocabulary of insults was used by Zhou and rendered into Russian as the rather vague khuliganit.