Mao, Peking, and Wilkins: the Cables
[Hand-drawn orange brackets in the margin, a red underline and blue X marks are noted in square brackets.]
BBB 3 CHICOM INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
9 August 1963
Text of Mao Statement
Peking NCNA in English to Asia and Europe 1837 GMT 8 August 1963--W
(Text) Peking, 8 August--Chairman Mao Tse-tung made a statement here today calling on the people of the world to unite against the racial discrimination by U.S. imperialism and to support the American Negroes in their struggle against it. The statement reads in full as follows:
[Orange bracket in the margin beside the next paragraph.]
Statement calling upon the people of the world to unite against racial discrimination by U.S. imperialism and to support the American Negroes in their struggle against racial discrimination. (Signed) Mao Tse-tung, 8 August 1963.
[Orange bracket in the margin beside the next paragraph.]
An American Negro leader now taking refuge in Cuba, Robert Williams [underlined in red; a blue X after the name], the former president of the Monroe, North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, has twice this year asked me for a statement in support of the American Negroes' struggle against racial discrimination. I wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of the Chinese [underlined in blue; a blue X after the word] people, to express our resolute support of the American Negroes in their struggle against racial discrimination and for freedom and equal rights.
There are more than 19 million Negroes in the United States, or about 11 percent of the total population. Their position in society is one of enslavement, oppression, and discrimination. The overwhelming majority of the Negroes are deprived of their right to vote. On the whole it is only the most back-breaking and despised jobs that are open to them. Their average wages are only from a third to a half of those of the white people. The ratio of unemployment among them is the highest. In many states they are forbidden to go to the same school, eat at the same table, or travel in the same section of a bus or train with the white people. Negroes are frequently and arbitrarily arrested, beaten up and murdered by U.S. authorities at various levels, by members of the KKK and other racists. About half of the American Negroes are concentrated in 11 states in the south of the United States, where the discrimination and persecution they suffer are especially shocking.
The American Negroes are awakening and their resistance is growing ever stronger. In recent years the mass struggle of the American Negroes against racial discrimination and for freedom and equal rights has been constantly developing. In 1957, the Negro people in Little Rock, Arkansas, waged a fight against the barring of their children from public schools. The authorities used armed force against them, and there resulted the Little Rock affair which shocked the world.
BBB 4 CHICOM INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
9 August 1963
In 1960, Negroes in more than 20 states held "sit in" demonstrations in protest against racial segregation in local restaurants, shops, and other public places. In 1961, the Negroes launched a campaign of "freedom rides" to oppose racial segregation in transport, a campaign which rapidly extended to many states. In 1962, the Negroes in Mississippi fought for the equal right to enroll in colleges and were greeted by the authorities with a blood bath.
The struggle of the American Negroes this year started in early April in Birmingham, Alabama. Unarmed, bare-handed Negro masses were subjected to wholesale arrests and the most barbarous suppression, merely because they were holding meetings and parades against racial discrimination. On 12 June, Medgar Evers, a leader of the Negro people in Mississippi, was murdered in cold blood. These Negro masses, aroused to indignation and defying brutal suppression, carried on their struggle even more courageously and quickly won the support of Negroes and all sections of the people throughout the United States. A gigantic and vigorous nationwide struggle is going on in nearly every state and city in the United States; and the struggle keeps mounting. American Negro organizations have decided to start a freedom march on Washington 28 August in which 250,000 people will take part.
The speedy development of the struggle of the American Negroes is a manifestation of the sharpening of class struggle and national struggles within the United States; it has been increasingly arousing the anxiety of the U.S. ruling circles. The Kennedy administration has resorted to cunning two-faced tactics. On the one hand, it continues to connive at and engage in the discrimination against and persecution of Negroes, including their suppression with armed force. On the other hand, it is parading as an advocate of the "defense of human rights" and "the protection of the civil rights of Negroes, is calling upon the Negro people to exercise "restraint," is proposing to Congress the so-called "civil rights legislation," in an attempt to lull the fighting will of the Negro people and deceive the masses throughout the country. However, these tactics of the Kennedy administration are being seen through by more and more of the Negroes. The fascist atrocities committed by the U.S. imperialists against the Negro people have laid bare the true nature of the so-called democracy and freedom in the United States and revealed the inner link between the reactionary policies pursued by the U.S. Government at home and its policies of aggression abroad.
[Top left corner: COPY]
AUG 13 AM 2 16
HB602/CU7
PEKING 408/406 12 2220 VIA MRT
LT
OVER TEN THOUSAND PEOPLE REPRESENTING VARIOUS CHINESE PEOPLES ORGANIZATIONS AND DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL PARTIES AND PEOPLE OF ALL CIRCLES IN PEKING HELD SOLEMN RALLY TODAY VOICE RESOLUTE SUPPORT TO AMERICAN NEGRO PEOPLE IN THEIR STRUGGLE AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND FOR FREEDOM AND EQUAL RIGHTS AND STRONGLY CONDEMN USA IMPERIALISTS FOR THEIR CRIMES OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION PARA STRUGGLE WAGED BY OVER 19 MILLION AMERICAN NEGROES IS ENTIRELY JUST WHICH ENJOYS SYMPATHY AND SUPPORT OF CHINESE PEOPLE AND DECENT PEOPLE WORLD OVER STOP SINCE LAST APRIL NEGRO PEOPLE IN UNITED STATES HAVE UNFOLDED VIGOROUS NATIONWIDE STRUGGLE ON SCALE UNKNOWN BEFORE COMMA WHICH HAS DEALT TELLING BLOW TO USA IMPERIALIST POLICY OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND RENDERED POWERFUL SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT TO PEOPLES FIGHTING AGAINST IMPERIALISM HEADED BY UNITED STATES STOP CHINESE PEOPLE SINCERELY ADMIRE THEIR AMERICAN NEGRO BROTHERS FOR THEIR DAUNTLESS AND INDOMITABLE SPIRIT IN STRUGGLE AND MOST RESOLUTELY SUPPORT THEIR JUST DEMANDS PARA AMERICAN NEGROES HAVE LONG BEEN SUBJECTED TO OPPRESSION AND ENSLAVEMENT STOP THEY HAVE BEEN DEPRIVED OF ELEMENTARY HUMAN RIGHTS AND THROWN IN DEPTH OF MISERIES STOP SINCE INAUGURATION OF KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION SHOCKING CRIMES OF BRUTAL SUPPRESSION AGAINST AMERICAN NEGROES HAVE BEEN CONSTANTLY INCREASING STOP THIS THOROUGHLY UNMASKS HOLLOWNESS OF SOCALLED DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM IN USA AND EXPLODES KENNEDYS LIES ABOUT QUOTE ELIMINATING VESTIGES OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION UNQUOTE AND QUOTE PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS OF NEGROES UNQUOTE AT SAME TIME IT CONVINCINGLY DEMONSTRATES SOCALLED SYMPATHY AID PROGRESS AND PEACE PEDDLED BY KENNEDY AMONG OPPRESSED NATIONS IN ASIA AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA ARE NOTHING BUT OUTANDOUT DECEPTION STOP FACTS PROVE KENNEDY ADMINISTRATION WHICH REPRESENTS BIG MONOPOLY GROUP IN USA IS CHIEF CULPRIT FOR RUTHLESS PERSECUTION OF NEGROES COMMA CHAMPION OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AND MAIN SOURCE OF POLICY OF NATIONAL OPPRESSION AND AGGRESSION THROUGHOUT WORLD PARA AMERICAN NEGROES ARE NOT ALONE IN THEIR STRUGGLE THEIR STRUGGLE IS CLOSELY LINKED WITH STRUGGLES OF AMERICAN PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF WHOLE WORLD AGAINST IMPERIALISM HEADED BY USA AND THEY ARE INSPIRING AND SUPPORTING EACH OTHER ARE ARE SURE OUR NEGRO BROTHERS SISTERS IN USA ASLONGAS THEY CLOSE RANKS AND PERSEVERE IN STRUGGLE WILL TRIUMPH NO MATTER HOW ARDUOUS THE STRUGGLE AND HOW TORTUOUS THE PATH MAY BE STOP AMERICAN NEGRO PEOPLE AND OPPRESSED NATIONS AND PEOPLES THROUGHOUT WORLD SURELY WILL ACHIEVE THOROUGH EMANCIPATION
(SIGNED) RALLY OF PEOPLE OF ALL CIRCLES IN PEKING SUPPORTING AMERICAN NEGROES IN THEIR STRUGGLE AGAINST RACIAL DISCRIMINATION
[Typed down the left margin: C O P Y. Page number at top center: 2]
CABLEGRAM LT CHG. NAACP AUGUST 21, 1963 VIA MACKAY RADIO
CHINESE PEOPLES COMMITTEE FOR WORLD PEACE
PEKING, CHINA
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE ACKNOWLEDGES YOUR GOOD WISHES ON THE AUGUST 28 DEMONSTRATION TO BE HELD IN WASHINGTON COMMA OUR NATIONAL CAPITAL STOP THE GATHERING OF WHITE AND NEGRO AMERICAN CITIZENS ON THAT DATE HAS BEEN WELCOMED BY PRESIDENT KENNEDY IN A PUBLIC PRESS STATEMENT AND BY MANY GOVERNMENT LEADERS AND LEGISLATORS OF BOTH MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES COMMA SOME OF WHOM WILL PARTICIPATE STOP THE DEMONSTRATION IS IN SUPPORT OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS LEGISLATION PROPOSED TO THE CONGRESS BY PRESIDENT KENNEDY STOP IT IS IN OPPOSITION TO RACIAL PRACTICES NOW IN EFFECT IN SOME PARTS OF OUR COUNTRY WHICH ARE CONTRARY TO THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT POLICY OF NONDISCRIMINATION STOP THE AUGUST 28 DEMONSTRATION WILL MAKE KNOWN THE DISSATISFACTION OF AMERICAN CITIZENS OF BOTH RACES OVER LOCAL AND REGIONAL DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT COMMA HOUSING COMMA EDUCATION COMMA VOTING AND PUBLIC ACCOMMODATION STOP IT WILL CALL UPON CONGRESS TO ENACT CORRECTIVE LEGISLATION AS PROPOSED BY PRESIDENT KENNEDY TO MATCH THE COURT DECISIONS AND EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND PROCEDURES OF THE OTHER TWO BRANCHES OF OUR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PARA WE JOIN YOU IN YOUR WISH FOR PEACE BUT BELIEVE THERE CAN BE NO GENUINE PEACE WITHOUT FREEDOM FOR THE INDIVIDUAL WITHIN ALL NATIONS AND THE CESSATION OF AGGRESSION INCLUDING PHYSICAL MILITARY INVASION BY NATIONS THEMSELVES STOP WE AWAIT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEND OUR FELICITATIONS TO CHINESE CITIZENS GATHERED IN A HUGE DEMONSTRATION IN YOUR NATION'S CAPITAL TO PROTEST LIVING CONDITIONS UNDER YOUR GOVERNMENT AND WELCOMED THERE BY YOUR HEADS OF STATE STOP
ROY WILKINS
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
