CHINA: Chou the Conqueror

A Communist war which lasts ten years may be surprising to other countries, but for us this is only the preface . .. There remain many delightful paragraphs for the future.

—Mao Tse-tung

Chou En-lai of Peking moved through Europe with the relaxed grace of a conqueror. He savored pâté de foie gras and raspberries with Mendès-France; he sipped wine with three Chinese actresses and an Occidental jester, Charlie Chaplin.

Like a great khan bestowing gold upon some worthy vassal, Chou gave Mendès a few pieces of Chinese silk, some Chinese folk stories, richly engraved. And at Geneva’s final session, the Premier of Red China took it upon himself to praise “the fine conciliatory spirit” of Mendès-France, the “praiseworthy efforts” of Molotov and Anthony Eden. “Undoubtedly,” said Chou the Conqueror, “the success of this conference is tremendous.”

Favorable Influence. “The armistice in Indo-China testifies,” Chou went on suavely, “that the forces for peace are irresistible. No policy aimed at creating splits and forming opposing military groups can have the support of the people … It is our opinion that the nations of Asia should consult among themselves and cooperate … in the interests of safeguarding peace.” It was an astute, well-timed bid for the leadership of Asia.

Next day Chou paid gracious tribute—via the British Broadcasting Corp.—to the peace-loving people of Britain. He took off for a state visit to East Berlin, where puppet Red Premier Otto Grotewohl paid unctuous homage: “No power on earth can settle international problems without consulting the Great People’s Republic of China.” Chou took Grotewohl at his word; he surveyed one of Grotewohl’s —and Russia’s trickiest unresolved problems, then observed: “Geneva . . . will favorably influence the reunification of Germany.”

Masterful Application. Across the Communist empire, the Red radio network proclaimed the extent of Chou’s triumph. “The achievement is of immense, historic significance,” crowed Peking. “It is another victory for peaceful negotiation, another ignominious setback for the U.S. policy of strength.” The Red radios had their own significant interpretation of Geneva’s meaning:

> The truce gives the Red Viet Minh time and many potential openings to soften up South Viet Nam (where they have long been ineffectual) before taking it over intact.

> South Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia are forbidden to enter any military alliance that might defer their eventual submission to Communism.

> Red Poland has a veto on the truce’s international supervisory commission—a better arrangement than the Communists got in the Korean truce—and can therefore stop anything going wrong for the Communist side.

> The Geneva powers, including the U.S., are honor-bound not to interrupt the Communist conquest of the rest of Indo-China.

At week’s end, Chou the Conqueror headed home via Warsaw, Moscow and Ulan Bator, clasping a brand-new doctorate of law from East Berlin’s University. The citation praised him for “masterful application of international law.”