281. Memorandum From the President’s Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson1
SUBJECT
- Chinese Chaos and U.S. Interests
Ed Rice, our outgoing Consul General in Hong Kong, states in his “swan song” cable2 that he remains convinced that Mao cannot win and consolidate power. He reasons:
- —the Cultural Revolution has been pushed in ways which generate widening opposition;
- —the opposition lacks the structure which might make it susceptible to identification, attack and destruction;
- —prominent Maoists in Peking are primarily propagandists and agitators;
- —therefore, their proposals for building a governmental structure to replace that which they have been destroying are vague and deficient.
Rice raises the question whether the chaos produced in China by the Maoists is in our interest. He concludes that while we may hope for some benefit from this chaos, the Maoists’ spirit of unreason and violence make China not only a bad neighbor but also the source of an infection which cannot be confined to China itself. At any rate, Rice believes it is against our interests to speak in public of any benefits to us from Maoist chaos.
- Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Country File, China, Vol. XI. Secret. A handwritten “L” on the source text indicates that it was seen by the President.↩
- A paraphrase of telegram 1786 from Hong Kong, September 21, is attached but not printed. A copy of the telegram is in Department of State, Central Files, POL CHICOM.↩