In July 1954, near the end of the Geneva Conference, an American had a conversation with Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov.
When the American claimed that Molotov was a "difficult uncompromising negotiator," the Soviet leader quickly retorted: "If you think I'm tough to deal with, then just wait for him to come, and then you'll know what the toughest thing is!" ”
It turned out that the "he" in Molotov's mouth was exactly ***
FigThe once-rumored "handshake mystery" in Geneva led a group of red diplomats to respond sensibly and forcefully to this Sino-US confrontation.
At a time when the United States is vainly trying to continue to influence the tense situation in Southeast Asia in the form of a fruitless meeting, the Chinese delegation headed by the Chinese delegation has broken this attempt of the United States through careful preparations, outstanding diplomatic activities, and friendly posture, and has further enhanced the international status and influence of New China.
So, what is the truth about the "mystery of the handshake" between China and the United States at that time, and why is it called the most difficult to deal with? Let's find out what kind of diplomatic art this Chinese leader has shown.
In January 1954, at the Berlin Conference, the Soviet Union proposed to convene a conference of the Soviet Union, the United States, China, France, and Britain in order to ease the tense situation in Asia at that time.
On 18 February, the meeting concluded with a communiqué recommending that the five major powers and the countries concerned participate in the Geneva conference on 26 April, with a clear theme.
First, a peaceful settlement of the Korean issue.
Second, the issue of restoring peace in Indochina was discussed.
On March 3, the **people** of Beijing replied to the Soviet Union and agreed to attend the Geneva Conference, and the delegation of more than 200 people, led by Zhang Wentian, Wang Jiaxiang, and Li Kenong, included talents in all aspects of politics, economy, military and culture.
From this it is enough to see the importance that *** attaches to this meeting, as he said:"We need to be fully equipped for each role! ”
In the preparatory work, the degree of detail is beyond imagination, precisely because this is the first time that China has made a public appearance at an international conference since the founding of New China.
First of all, Huang Hua and others, as the spokespersons of the delegation, conducted three simulation drills in the auditorium before setting off for their speeches at the press conference, and the process was wonderful.
FigHuang Hua. Many Xinhua News Agency reporters who knew English were gathered together, dressed as reporters from foreign news agencies, and did their best to ask all kinds of questions to make the spokesman difficult, and many of them were extremely insulting and threatening, and even had a lot of questioning overtones.
In the face of one difficult problem after another, the speakers appeared to be particularly calm and calm, coupled with the agility and adaptability of diplomats, the difficulties of the reporters were resolved one by one in their explanations or rebuttals.
The most important thing is that such a unique drill has made Huang Hua fully mentally prepared, and he has a fuller understanding of the guidelines and strategies of the Chinese delegation participating in the meeting in actual combat, and he can use them with ease.
On the other hand, there is the issue of the image of the delegation, after all, the national situation at that time was still very difficult, although the members of the delegation can dress plainly in the country, but they are about to enter the international stage, the image is still extremely important.
General Wu Xiuquan, then secretary general of the delegation, proposed to unify the study decision, in his opinion:"The costumes of the members of the Chinese delegation must be solemn, solemn and uniform! ”
After some discussion, ** customized a set of black tunics for each delegate, and when *** led the team to arrive at Geneva Airport, this neat and mighty team immediately caused an international sensation, and reporters from all over the world took pictures.
On that day, such a sentence appeared in major international newspapers and periodicals:"A young Red Diplomat leads a group of younger Red Diplomats, who are dressed in the same clothes and even have similar suitcases! ”
Indeed, this black tunic was indeed very eye-catching, and when the delegation went on its activities afterwards, people often took off their hats to salute them, and the delegates later learned that in the West, pastors often wear black, and many foreigners mistake them for missionary priests.
Although this is a small matter, it is important to know that the priests who are revered by Westerners have always had a dignified temperament, and it is precisely because of their extraordinary temperament that the members of the delegation were mistaken for them.
FigThe Chinese delegation to the Geneva Conference.
Every time they came to the press center to release news, the spokesmen answered fluently and accurately refuted the facts, which was widely praised by the reporters.
And these are just the tip of the iceberg of the outstanding performance of the Chinese delegation, as the protagonist, his wonderful performance throughout the meeting and his flexible response to various occasions are classics.
Stemming from the friendship between China and the Soviet Union that year, at the Geneva Conference, China and the Soviet Union naturally became the best allies, and the Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov became the best partners.
Li Yueran, who served as a Russian translator for our delegation, recalled the cooperation between the two leaders:"They all have the same steadfastness and dedication to what they believe in. They all have keen insight and leadership skills, as well as a strong sense of courage in dealing with complex political issues, and are able to make decisions with just the right instincts. ”
At the beginning of the meeting, Molotov often introduced the international situation and diplomatic tactics in various struggles, and it was also because he had an in-depth understanding of the background, resume, personality characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of many Western diplomats, which were conducive to the development of our next work.
After leading the delegation to slowly warm up, the members of the Chinese delegation showed greater diplomatic flexibility and the art of struggle, and this was particularly vividly demonstrated by ***.
On the two main topics of the meeting, the Indochina issue was obviously much more complicated than the Korean issue, especially since the countries involved were not only Vietnam, but also Laos and Cambodia, and on the other side were France, which initiated the colonial war, and the United States, which tried to block the establishment of any agreement.
When the situation reached an impasse, Lei Yingfu, who was the first military staff officer, expressed his opinion:"If you can't take Dien Bien Phu, the current negotiations, everything is out of the question! ”
FigLei Yingfu.
At this moment, the Vietnamese general Vo Nguyen Gia was obviously a little discouraged:"Almost all of our elite troops have been hitched, and the losses are particularly serious! ”
It turned out that the reason why the Battle of Dien Bien Phu was so difficult to advance was precisely because the French colonialists, with the help of the United States, gathered a large number of military forces to entrench in Dien Bien Phu, like an "aircraft carrier in the mountains and forests".
After discovering the problem, our side decisively sent General *** to be directly responsible for the organization of support for Vietnam, to say that he is still facing the old adversary the United States this time, but at this time the United States is already the defeated general of our army on the Korean battlefield.
Thanks to the efforts of the Vietnamese People's Army, the Vietnamese People's Army was able to transport heavy firepower to the front line to participate in the battle of Dien Bien Phu, and our side also sent General Wei Guoqing to the front line to participate in the command operation.
With such careful planning, the Vietnamese People's Army (LPA) finally achieved a great victory in Dien Bien Phu the day before the official talks on Indochina, which became the key to turning the tide at the negotiating table.
Prior to this, the Vietnamese Bao Da ** representative was extremely arrogant, and even openly pointed at Ho Chi Minh's right-hand man Pham Van Dong at the meeting: "Your ** is **? You are the shadows**!
After the victory in Dien Bien Phu, this rabble could not even raise their heads when they entered the venue, and the representatives of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam were able to defend their national rights and interests with pride.
Although the subsequent negotiations were still not very smooth, Prince Sihanouk had another beautiful cooperation with ***, and even won the help of the French representative.
Prince Sihanouk, with the assistance of the scheming Prime Minister Binnu, put forward a plan to end the war in India, and the most important proposal was that in addition to the French forces entrenched in Vietnam, all the fighting units entrenched in other countries should also be withdrawn, and all Cambodians who were not born in Cambodia should be withdrawn.
The vigilant *** quickly understood the gist of it, and if such an agreement was reached, it was very likely that the war between India would be successfully quelled, and then the two sides would be lobbied and promoted.
Fig** With Prince Sihanoukville.
In fact, Ho Chi Minh and other Vietnamese leaders at that time were reluctant to accept this plan, also because Cambodia was often contested by Vietnam and Thailand in history, and the armed forces of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have always been in a state of "you have me, I have you".
After a lot of work, the Vietnamese delegation gradually realized the rationality of the proposal, fortunately, France, which had just suffered the crushing defeat at Dien Bien Phu, had a more friendly attitude towards the new Prime Minister France after the fall of Lanier**.
When he met with France, the French leader was so excited that he was even willing to gamble his political career to promote the matter, and at this time, he knew better than anyone that Prince Sihanouk was most concerned about winning back the sovereignty of Cambodia, and he would never agree to sign any agreement that limited the sovereignty of the country.
The aforementioned Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov was not wise enough in this matter, he failed to see the Cambodian delegation's insistence on sovereignty, and once feared that the success of the talks would make Cambodia a base for US aggression.
The results speak for themselves, with the help of ***, the agreement was successfully signed, in addition, he also put forward the famous "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" in the handling of state relations.
As for the most unfriendly American delegation, the leader of the team also launched a silent contest with it, especially on the issue of the "handshake mystery" that was rumored back then, and the response was far more witty and resolute than everyone thought.
During the Geneva Conference, all socialist countries had to face the formidable adversary of the United States, and the American delegation was led by Secretary of State Dulles, who was also known as the "Knight of the Cold War."
FigDulles.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dulles instructed that no one in the US delegation should shake hands with members of the Chinese delegation during the meeting, as he said when asked by reporters for an official meeting with China: "Mr. Reporter, there is only one possibility, and that is that my car collided with ***'s car on the streets of Geneva!" ”
There was a lot of fabricated news about this ban, according to legend, the two had shaken hands, but Dulles immediately took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, but *** threw the handkerchief directly into the trash can after wiping his hands with a handkerchief, which responded to the arrogance and disdain of the United States.
The real Dulles was not as radical as people imagined, on the contrary, he has always had the solemnity and rigor inherent in a political activist, although he had just undergone stomach cancer surgery at that time, he dragged his sick body to the 38th parallel of North Korea on the eve of the Geneva meeting, and only went to the meeting after getting accurate information.
Everywhere he went, he always gave people a gloomy feeling of few words, which also stemmed from the fact that he was indeed a "thinking" person, who was not good at words and would never easily speak in public.
Based on the torrent of world revolution and the vigorous development of the national liberation movement, as well as the fiasco of the United States on the Korean battlefield, Dulles's hatred of China is almost to the point of madness.
During the meeting, ** walked face-to-face with Dulles several times, but our leader has always maintained a solemn and calm look, but Dulles, every time he saw ***, he became pale and nervous, and even the movements up and down his body seemed stiff and rigid.
Because of his cancer, Dulles, as the behind-the-scenes controller of the US delegation, returned home a week after the start of the meeting, and the delegation was replaced by Deputy Secretary of State Smith.
FigMolotov.
In fact, this is also the inspiration that Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov brought to ***, as he commented:"This Smith was a general under Eisenhower during World War II, and he was different from Dulles, and I had a few previous contacts with him, and he was somewhat dissatisfied with the current foreign policy of the United States. ”
In Molotov's mouth, Smith has always believed that the hostile policy pursued by the United States towards China is unwise and long-term, and this is precisely in the eyes of ***, after all, the difference between the secretary of state and the deputy secretary of state in their attitudes towards China is enough to show that the imperialist camp is not monolithic.
"Looking at it this way, we really shouldn't give up this job opportunity! ”With *** such a conclusion, a unique confrontation between Chinese and American leaders is about to begin.
One day at the end of the meeting, when the delegates gathered at the bar to communicate, Smith actually took the initiative to walk up to Zhou En's translator with a glass of brandy and talk, and was amazed by the translator's authentic and delicious English, and at the same time, Smith also expressed his great interest in ancient Chinese culture.
Although Smith only had a brief conversation with an interpreter of the Chinese delegation, such an encounter was "unprecedented" for the traditionally hostile Chinese and American delegations.
When *** learned of Smith's actions, he couldn't help but feel his eyes light up, and then sighed:"Good! Since Smith is willing and dares to contact the Chinese delegation, I will also talk to him tomorrow when he rests! ”
At the break of the meeting on the second day, Wu Xiuquan, the secretary general of the delegation, paid close attention to Smith's whereabouts, and finally, when Smith walked to the counter alone to drink coffee, he had a great opportunity to talk.
When *** walked to the bar, the two leaders sparked a spark the moment their eyes met, and as *** gradually approached Smith, the members of the delegations from all over the world focused their eyes on it.
FigSmith.
Although Smith was a little caught off guard, he still did not forget Dulles's "no handshake" instruction, and hurriedly held the cup in his right hand and the cigar in his left hand, which perfectly avoided the embarrassment of not shaking hands with ***, and complied with Dulles's instructions.
"Sir, would you like a cup of coffee? ”Smith smiled and said hello, then waved his hand and said"Mr. Smith, don't you want to taste China's Longjing? ”
On the occasion of greetings, the two also had an excellent topic entry, especially Smith, who talked about the Great Wall, Longmen Grottoes, and the Four Great Inventions from Longjing, expressing his sincere love for ancient Chinese culture.
In the face of Smith's friendliness, ** also responded politely:"After thousands of years of human history, China has created an ancient civilization that has attracted worldwide attention, and although your country has only a few hundred years of history, it has made outstanding contributions to human civilization! ”
In the face of Smith's constant preference for Eastern civilization, ** simply communicated further, only to see him clasp his arms to his chest and say calmly and seriously.
"During World War II, Mr. Smith, as an American general, made meritorious achievements in the European theater and made efforts to maintain world peace. ”
Hearing *** say this, Smith looked happy and helpless, and even showed gratitude in his eyes, the two leaders didn't seem to talk about some specific matters, but Smith could clearly feel ***'s sincerity, just because he had to stick to the US position, and this, he believed that *** understood.
Towards the end of the meeting, Smith once again took the initiative to find *** to talk, although the United States did not sign any agreement, but Smith still expressed his opinion.
"The meeting is coming to an end, and it's my happiest thing to know you here. The Chinese delegation played a great role in this meeting, and I hope that both North Korea and Vietnam will be able to restore peace in the future! ”
At the moment when he finished speaking, Smith smiled and grabbed ***'s arm and shook it vigorously a few times, and left with a smile, he did not shake hands but expressed the same wish and mood, which contains the voices of all people in China and the United States who yearn for peace.
Thinking about it carefully, if he was as narrow as Dulles at the beginning, how could he have such an unexpected intersection with Smith, and the friendly conversation with Smith not only showed the demeanor of the two leaders, but also laid the groundwork for the opening of friendly relations between China and the United States.
Therefore, the art of diplomacy has always been frank and gentle, he knows how to strike at the right time, not only will not make the other party feel embarrassed, but also to achieve the purpose of win-win cooperation, as for how to quickly let more countries feel the charm of China, the best method is perfect, and it is also a joke at the Geneva Conference that year.
Fourth, the Chinese version of "Romeo and Juliet", * fans all over the world
Because of the superb performance of the Chinese delegation during the meeting, many people have such feelings:"In *** and his assistants, we can feel the self-confidence, optimism and organizational ability of the Chinese, they do not yet have a big country frame, this is the spirit of a big country!" ”
And an American journalist, after hearing such an assessment, instead responded with a sneer:"This is Geneva, and we cannot see the sorrow and sorrow of hundreds of millions of Chinese under the rule of the Communist Party! ”
This sentence later reached the ears of ***, who was not annoyed and rushed to explain, ** directly instructed the press liaison officer Xiong Xianghui to hold a film reception, and the movie screened was "1952 National Day".
Regarding the application for the reception, ** was well aware of the inconvenience of the representatives of some countries, and this was resolved in his ingenious arrangement of invitations, and even silently made more people feel the reasonableness of the Chinese delegation.
Originally, ** instructed the staff to divide the invitations into two types, in addition to the named invitation, the other part of the unnamed invitations were placed in the "Reporter's Home", so that it was convenient for reporters from various countries who were inconvenient for us to invite.
FigStills from "National Day 1952".
That night, the reception was packed to capacity, with eager applause and applaudation from time to time as people watched the screen, as described in many reports"When the heavily armed squadron and the girls with flowers in their hands crossed the Geneva screen with neat steps, the uncrowned kings of the East and the West all expressed their admiration! ”
Afterwards, some American reporters still thought that the Chinese delegation's move was engaging in militarism, and they were extremely calm in the face of such ridicule, and they also signaled to their subordinates:"This matter is easy to handle, don't we have Mei Lanfang's big drama, it's better to show them the tragedy of Liang Zhu! ”
It turns out that he is particularly fond of national opera, and he also has a soft spot for Yue Opera, and before leaving for Geneva, he specially asked the delegation to bring the color Yue Opera film "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai", which has just been launched in China, in his opinion, this is also the best Chinese propaganda film.
"Don't make so many English explanations, this is not a professor talking about the history of social development! All you need to do is write one sentence on the invitation: Please enjoy a color opera film - "Romeo and Juliet" in China. If that fails, I'll give you a bottle of Moutai! ”
Everyone issued an invitation letter according to the opinions of ***, which really attracted the attention of reporters from various countries, and the screening hall was still full that day, but after watching it, people were surprised to find that the new China they had never understood deeply was actually a romantic country.
In the early morning of July 21, 1954, the Geneva Conference ended after the representatives of all parties reached a consensus, and a number of cessation of hostilities agreements were signed, which effectively reversed the tension in Southeast Asia.
As *** said after learning of the results of the meeting: "This victory is conducive to promoting peace and security in various Asian countries, and it also further eases international tensions!" ”
Fig**On July 23, he led a delegation to fly out of Geneva and visited many countries along the way, and on August 1, the Chinese leader arrived in Beijing, where he brought peace back to the land of China and personally made New China a bright new star in the world!