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: ARCHIVES "NATIONAL RECORDS SERVICE" AND
CONTINUED
That is not the case with Japan. And Japan has
better communications by far than the Soviet Union to
the most important districts of China.
MR. LIURPHY: In contrasting the various power areas
and the possible combinations which would be a threat to
us, you made the point, I thin's that the combination of
Russia and Contral Turone would be a more effective and
more dangerous threat than the combination of Russia and
China; I think you said because Central Europe was a more
homogeneous group, a more uniform group. Is that right?
MR. KENNAN: It's a very powerful military industrial
unit in its own right, Central Europe, and that was demon-
strated during the lest war. If you think what the Germans
were able to develop and maintain over a series of years
in the way of military forces, it was terrific! And if
you add that to the Russian potential, if Russians and
Germans contrive to combine - if only for a decade
those two potentials, you would be faced with the only
combination I thin's that would give you something in abso-
lute terms considerably more powerful than what we have
here in North America. That vas my point.
MR. STALEY: May I ask your comment on this line of
thought: "hat is the Russian view of the importance of
China and Asia in the world political struggle as you
gather it (a) in relation to military nower in the narrower
sense, and (b) in relation to the political infiltration
sort of struggle which I judge from your remarks you mipht
think would be more important in their view'. And may I
preface it further with this observation that it, would
seem the old .arxist doctrine that the countries of most
advanced canitalism would be the first to have their
proletarian revolutions that has been a great failure
as a forecast. In no country of really advanced industrial
development has there been a revolution of that type.
The revolutions that have been successful from the
point of view of proletarian dictatorship have occurred
in the so-called backsard countries. They still predict
we have our contradictions that will lead us to eventual
revolution but now isn't it true that the emphasis in
this thinking perhans has shifted to the so-called
exploited under-developed countries and they may put more
emphasis on them now realistically in their strategic
planning
MR. KENNAN: I think that is quite true. I think
militarily they do not look to the Chinese for very much
except
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"ocrText": ": ARCHIVES \"NATIONAL RECORDS SERVICE\" AND\nCONTINUED\nThat is not the case with Japan. And Japan has\nbetter communications by far than the Soviet Union to\nthe most important districts of China.\nMR. LIURPHY: In contrasting the various power areas\nand the possible combinations which would be a threat to\nus, you made the point, I thin's that the combination of\nRussia and Contral Turone would be a more effective and\nmore dangerous threat than the combination of Russia and\nChina; I think you said because Central Europe was a more\nhomogeneous group, a more uniform group. Is that right?\nMR. KENNAN: It's a very powerful military industrial\nunit in its own right, Central Europe, and that was demon-\nstrated during the lest war. If you think what the Germans\nwere able to develop and maintain over a series of years\nin the way of military forces, it was terrific! And if\nyou add that to the Russian potential, if Russians and\nGermans contrive to combine - if only for a decade\nthose two potentials, you would be faced with the only\ncombination I thin's that would give you something in abso-\nlute terms considerably more powerful than what we have\nhere in North America. That vas my point.\nMR. STALEY: May I ask your comment on this line of\nthought: \"hat is the Russian view of the importance of\nChina and Asia in the world political struggle as you\ngather it (a) in relation to military nower in the narrower\nsense, and (b) in relation to the political infiltration\nsort of struggle which I judge from your remarks you mipht\nthink would be more important in their view'. And may I\npreface it further with this observation that it, would\nseem the old .arxist doctrine that the countries of most\nadvanced canitalism would be the first to have their\nproletarian revolutions that has been a great failure\nas a forecast. In no country of really advanced industrial\ndevelopment has there been a revolution of that type.\nThe revolutions that have been successful from the\npoint of view of proletarian dictatorship have occurred\nin the so-called backsard countries. They still predict\nwe have our contradictions that will lead us to eventual\nrevolution but now isn't it true that the emphasis in\nthis thinking perhans has shifted to the so-called\nexploited under-developed countries and they may put more\nemphasis on them now realistically in their strategic\nplanning\nMR. KENNAN: I think that is quite true. I think\nmilitarily they do not look to the Chinese for very much\nexcept"
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