 Henry Kissinger with Mao Zedong |
A transcript of a 1973 conversation released by the State Department reveals China’s revolutionary communist leader Mao Zedong jokingly offered to give the U.S. his country’s “excess” of 10 million women.
But Mao – who was talking with then U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger at a villa in Beijing – apparently feared his comments would anger the public if released. He later apologized to a female interpreter and agreed along with Kissinger to remove the comments about women from the record.
As the Chinese leader smoked cigars, he brought up the “offer” during a discussion of U.S. barriers to trade with Beijing. Prime Minister Chou Enlai also entered the conversation.
Mao: The trade between our two countries at present is very pitiful. It isgradually increasing. You know China is a very poor country. We don’t have much. What we have in excess is women.
(Laughter)
Kissinger: There are no quotas for those or tariffs.
Mao: So if you want them we can give a few of those to you, some tens of thousands. (Laughter)
Prime Minister Chou: Of course, on a voluntary basis.
Chairmain Mao: Let them go to your place. They will create disasters. That way you can lessen our burdens. (Laughter)
Kissinger: Our interest in trade with China is not commercial. It is to establish a relationship that is necessary for the political relations we both have.
Mao brought up the subject of women again after Kissinger said the U.S. would act “in its own interests, not as a kindness to anyone else.”
Mao: (Laughing) Those are honest words.
Kissinger: This is our position.
Mao: Do you want our Chinese women? We can give you ten million. (Laughter, particularly among the women.)
Kissinger: The is improving his offer.
Mao: 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.
(Laughter) Kissinger: It is such a novel proposition, we will have to study it.
Mao: You can set up a committee to study the issue. That is how your visit to China is settling the population question.
(Laughter)
Kissinger: We will study utilization and allocation.
Mao: If we ask them to go I think they would be willing.
Chou: Not necessarily.
Mao: That’s because of their feudal ideas, big nation chauvinism.
Kissinger: We are certainly willing to receive them.
The topic later came up a third time when Mao addressed his interpreter and other women present.
Mao: Girls. (Chou laughs.) Today I have been uttering some nonsense for which I will have to beg the pardon of the women of China.
Kissinger: It sounded very attractive to the Americans present. (Mao and the girls laugh.)
More water, please!
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