In a 1973 conversation so bizarre that I admit to being a bit skeptical, Mao reportedly asked Henry Kissinger, “Do you want our Chinese women? We can give you ten million.”
Mao first suggested sending “thousands” of women but as an afterthought proposed “10 million,” drawing laughter at the meeting, also attended by Chinese premier Zhou Enlai.
Kissinger, who was President Richard Nixon’s national security advisor at that time, told Mao that the United States had no “quotas” or “tariffs” for Chinese women, drawing more laughter.
Kissinger then tried to highlight to Mao the threat posed by the Soviet Union and other global concerns as he moved to lay the groundwork for restoring diplomatic ties a year after Nixon’s historic visit to China.
But Mao dragged the talks back to the topic of Chinese women.
“Let them go to your place. They will create disasters. That way you can lessen our burdens,” Mao said.
“Do you want our Chinese women? We can give you ten million,” he said.
Kissinger noted that Mao was “improving his offer.”
Mao continued, “By doing so we can let them flood your country with disaster and therefore impair your interests. In our country we have too many women, and they have a way of doing things.
“They give birth to children and our children are too many.”
Kissinger said he would study the offer and suggested politely that they table the matter pending further review.
If true, I offer several possible interpretations, pick your favorite:
1) Mao was kidding around.
2) Mao was on drugs. (He was taking some pretty heavy duty medication for his various ailments at this time)
3) He was totally batshit insane.
4) He was dead serious.
5) He had a bet going with the boys that he could get Zhou Enlai to break down and weep in public
6) He simply forgot to mention, “Starting with Jiang Qing…”
7) All of the above.
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Source: AFP
If we believe Li Zhisui’s claims that Mao was straight O.G. outta Changsha, what about (8), “He forgot to add, ‘After I’ve personally, heh-heh, vetted them.’”
That said, my vote goes for (7) but especially (5).
I’ve always thought that Kissinger has jackal’s blood, but he was obviously a hell of a diplomat: he appears to have been showing commendable wit and tact in very testing circumstances here.
The Chairman’s un-PC humour doesn’t do much for his reputation as a proponent of equality for women, does it? “Women hold up half the sky – then they drop it on your head.”
I recall reading about this a while back in James Mann’s “About Face.” I certainly wouldn’t put it past the good chairman.
Mao also suggested that a nuclear war with US killing hundreds of million of people is acceptable. 10 million women was probably considered small change for Mao, if it will create problems in the US.
Considering some of the stuff I put up with from my own Chinese woman, I tend to think Mao was completely serious.
I heared this story is Mr Kissinger and Mao were talking about woman’s human right(force abortion, birth control, etc) , thats why Mao suggested if US dont like this policy and theres no better solution, he can send million women to US, leave this big problem to US.
I believe this is actually classic Chinese diplomacy. If I recall my history correctly (and I don’t) Chinese women were often used as gifts to keep the peace between China and its neighbors. And vice versa.
Actually, it’s pretty common in most fedual societies – look at European aristocracy.
This really isn’t worth much investigating and studying under a lab microscope. Aside from the serious question about its truthfulness, it was nothing more than a Mao-styled humor, if it were true. He responded “I just changed a few subsurbs on the outskirt of Beijing” at Kissinger’s flattering remarks about how he impacted the world with his revolution in China. By the way, this story is more credible than the story you just told above, because it is widely recorded in both Chinese and English diplomatic files.
Brendan,
I had a similar joke in an original draft, something along the lines of “Mao believed Nixon also required the services of eight nubile versions as part of his bedtime regimen” but I like your version better.
Froog,
God only knows what was going through Kissinger’s mind at the time, probably some variation of my list above.
Shu Jierui,
I hadn’t read any other version of this story before this account released from state department archives. I’ll have to check out “About Face,” thanks for the tip.
Ching Ping,
Good point. Frightening, but valid.
Mac,
I hear you…and I figure that the women in your life probably never helped to start and sustain a catastrophic political movement that led to ten years of anarchy, persecution, death, and turmoil.
Lin,
The AFP article didn’t provide the context for the discussion and in fact leads one to believe that the exchange was a bit out of the blue. It would be interesting to go through the newly released documents to see what preceded this bit of dialogue.
Evan,
You’re correct. Imperial princesses were among the most common tools used to build alliances with outside powers, especially those on the steppe. That said, I’m not sure that’s what Mao had in mind here, but given the overall weirdness of the conversation, anything’s possible.
Teluoyi,
Yeah, I don’t think anyone’s going to ride this story to a Levenson Prize, but it’s a quirky little anecdote that might be fun for lectures.
As to its veracity, well who knows? It was part of newly released records from the state department archives, I’m sure they’ve got quite a few gems in their vault.
Jeremiah,
Thanks for your feedback. Veracity aside, Mao seems known for making such quicky remarks. Lately, it became known that Mao, toward the end of his life and at the potential of his wife Jiang Qing’s misfortune after his death, sighed that even though he told Kissinger he only managed to change a few suburbs outside Beijing, rather than what Kissinger said he changed the world, he felt he didn’t even change his own wife, because he told her to pay great importance to getting along and uniting with the qun zhong (the mass/people) and keeping a humble, low profile.
Mao in his early years in the party was a conniving, ambitious apparatchik with a pronounced penchant for survival at the expense of everyone else ; at his height he was all-powerful, idolized by millions yet vindictative, petty and indulgent. He had no grasp of relevancy, no sense or proportion, no humility and so could wax large with Henry Kissinger, the representative of the most powerful nation on earth, as if he were lecturing a farmer. In Mao we have stupidity – base insensivity to any but his own indulgences – grown to stupendous proportions unchecked by self-examination and reflection. Compare him to the petty boss and owner of a small company x millions; in any sensible system such an aberration cannot exceed his own creation.
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So, you’re not a fan of The Helmsman, then, Scott?
Nor am I – but I’d never thought of comparing him to The Office’s David Brent before. Did Mao in fact launch the Cultural Revolution with a “There’s good news and bad news” speech?
I’ve read the transcript, a mindblowing 1,000 pages. Actually the AFP report is taken verbatim from the transcript of the meeting. Mao also goes on to apologise to the women present, they appear to be laugh with him. Later in the documents Kissinger interprets Mao’s statement as signalling the trouble he was having with Jiang Qing (entirely plausible).
Froog,
I love it. David Brent as Mao with Gareth Keenan in the Lin Biao role. Priceless.
Kaz,
Thanks for doing the requisite digging, it is indeed crazy some of the things you find in the archives.
Thanks for stopping by. Always great to have a fellow researcher commenting.
I think joking around during negotiations is normal and relaxes the participants. I experienced it many times in China. But in this case, who knows…
Jakob,
If I had to make book, I’d agree with you–he was messing around to lighten the mood and/or stall for some reason. But as you noted, anything is possible…
Thanks for stopping by.
I read the transcript and it is obvious that the whole thing was a joke – it also involved some teasing of the women interpreters. Mao later apologized to the interpreters and asked that his comments not be recorded
John,
I don’t think anyone seriously believes it wasn’t a joke, but it’s a joke that’s helped to give us all a whole new set of laughs three decades after fact.
Thanks for stopping by.
Here’s another remark attributable to Mao that will most probably make surviving CCP members of the Long March generation either squirm on their beds or for those implicated old guards who are no longer alive turn in their graves.
“… (you are supposed to be involved in) making the socialist revolution but (you) don’t know where the bourgeoisie are. They are right here in the party, (they are) those party authorities who are on the capitalist road, the capitalist roaders are still at it.”
Source: History of the Chinese Communist Party (Zhongguo Gongchandang Jianshe Shi) published in 1991 by Shanghai People’s Publishing House (Shanghai Renmin Chubanshe).
I would like to offer several possible interpretations for Mao to reportedly make the above remark:
(1) Mao was dead serious
(2) He was just joking
(3) He was hallucinating
(4) If none of the above, please add your own interpretations.
Mao was ill with Alzheimer’s disease during Mr. Herry Kissinger’s visit.
Yeah…actually it’s usually noted as Parkinson’s (per Li Zhisui) not Alzheimer’s, but it might be years before we know for sure.
Good thing they embalmed Mao’s body, then? Preserving it for future reexamination.
This all strikes me as much ado over very not a big deal. It reminds me of when the British papers went crazy over “revelations” that France had tried to join the British Commonwealth in the 1950s. As you might imagine, they were tickled pink by the prospect of the froggies crawling on their knees to the Queen.