The Quarrelling Brothers: New Chinese Archives and a ... - CiteSeerX

the Chinese government contended that “the truth of matter is that [Khrushchev’s] goal isto deal with China, to bind up China.” 208 Rejecting the Soviet argument that Moscow’sowning nuclear weapons could protect the security of socialist countries, Chinese deputyforeign minister Zhang Hanfu made a pointed remark. “[Krushchev] wanted to coax us.In fact he worries that we might own nuclear weapons,” Zhang said, “Revisionism isafraid that Marxism may become strong. [These] are all cheating words. Who knowstoward whom he will fire rockets one day? You never can tell.” 209By November 1962, Chinese leaders had come to realize that the nature of therelationship between China and the Soviet Union had changed. Zhang Hanfu noted,“Some say ‘brothers are still brothers,’ but this brother is a bad one, a revisionist elderbrother.” 210 Zhang Yan, deputy director of the State Council Foreign Affairs Office,speaking on 26 November as the national foreign affairs working meeting was drawing toclose, noted, “We should get a clear and definite understanding that Khrushchev is atraitor, not a proletarian.” 211 Liu Ningyi, deputy director of the International Departmentof the CC CCP put it more bluntly, “He [Khrushchev] colludes with the enemy, opposesthe Soviet Union, and opposes communism. The purpose of all his activities was tooppose us, to strike down China and to strike down the leader of the Chinese party,Comrade Mao Zedong.” 212The Chinese leadership’s grasp of Khrushchev’s essence, however, did not meanthat they targeted Khrushchev as their primary enemy. Rather, Chinese leaders made208 Ibid.209 Ibid.210 Ibid.211 Item No. 3 “Guowuyuan waiban: Zhang Yan tongzhi jianghua, yijiu liu’er nian ershiliu ri shangwu” (The StateCouncil Foreign Affairs Office: Comrade Zhang Yan’s Talk, November 26 Morning, 1962), ibid.212 Item No. 9 “Guowuyuan waiban: Liu Ningyi tongzhi de fayan (jilu) guanyu woguo renmin tuanti de guoji huodongwenti (1962 nian 11 yue 6 ri),”ibid.65