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CONNIDING
ANO
RECORDS
a
SERVICE"
-67-
What do we see today? We see the same thing happen-
ing again. We have been turning out Chinese students,
among others, during these years since 1928 - we didn't
teach then to be Communists but they are trying to work
under the Communists in a striking preponderance of cases.
I think we are bound to assume that most Chinese are going
to accept the new regime, as most Chinese twenty years ago
accepted the Nationalists, as a fact, a given condition
in the problem, something they had to reckon on at least
for the near future, and I think most of them are going to
try working with it, and that means that the Communists as
they build up their institutions, like the Nationalists 21
years ago, are going to become dependent upon the collabora-
tion of considerable numbers of persons who don't share
their ideology but who feel constrained by circumstances
to try to make a go of the regime. And however difficult
it may be for outsiders like ourselves to deal with such a
regime in its early phases, I believe that in the long run
it offers the prospect of a regime with which we can deal
and that in the long run it is by no means certain that
Moscow will find it a better agent of its purposes than
we found the Nationalist government to be of our purposes.
My feeling is that we ought not to assume a position at
the outset of unchangeable hostility to the new regime; we
should adopt a policy of watchful waiting, if I can use
that expression without getting into trouble, in the hope
that presently it will prove possible not only for our
missionaries and our educators but for our businessmen to
find there some opportunity for resuming their activities.
The new China, like the old, will need certain things from
us. I think we should keep ourselves, if possible, in the
position to give those things.
MR. ROSSINGER: There have been a number of suggestions
this afternoon concerning the possibility of blocking China
off or, to put it differently, writing China off. The
assumption seems to have been that, for one thing, the
Chinese Communists and the Communist-dominated regime
could be allowed to stew in its own juices, get into in-
creasing dilemmas, and finally after the passage of years
be overthrown or come to the United States and ask for the
assistance it must have in order to continue. The second
assumption seems to have been that in the meantime we
could, undisturbed, except perhaps by certain local
phenomena, build up our position and the position of friendly
groups in the countries of southeast Asia and interest
India and Pakistan; therefore, that we would have great
freedom of action, that the Chinese Communists would have
an
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"ocrText": "CONNIDING\nANO\nRECORDS\na\nSERVICE\"\n-67-\nWhat do we see today? We see the same thing happen-\ning again. We have been turning out Chinese students,\namong others, during these years since 1928 - we didn't\nteach then to be Communists but they are trying to work\nunder the Communists in a striking preponderance of cases.\nI think we are bound to assume that most Chinese are going\nto accept the new regime, as most Chinese twenty years ago\naccepted the Nationalists, as a fact, a given condition\nin the problem, something they had to reckon on at least\nfor the near future, and I think most of them are going to\ntry working with it, and that means that the Communists as\nthey build up their institutions, like the Nationalists 21\nyears ago, are going to become dependent upon the collabora-\ntion of considerable numbers of persons who don't share\ntheir ideology but who feel constrained by circumstances\nto try to make a go of the regime. And however difficult\nit may be for outsiders like ourselves to deal with such a\nregime in its early phases, I believe that in the long run\nit offers the prospect of a regime with which we can deal\nand that in the long run it is by no means certain that\nMoscow will find it a better agent of its purposes than\nwe found the Nationalist government to be of our purposes.\nMy feeling is that we ought not to assume a position at\nthe outset of unchangeable hostility to the new regime; we\nshould adopt a policy of watchful waiting, if I can use\nthat expression without getting into trouble, in the hope\nthat presently it will prove possible not only for our\nmissionaries and our educators but for our businessmen to\nfind there some opportunity for resuming their activities.\nThe new China, like the old, will need certain things from\nus. I think we should keep ourselves, if possible, in the\nposition to give those things.\nMR. ROSSINGER: There have been a number of suggestions\nthis afternoon concerning the possibility of blocking China\noff or, to put it differently, writing China off. The\nassumption seems to have been that, for one thing, the\nChinese Communists and the Communist-dominated regime\ncould be allowed to stew in its own juices, get into in-\ncreasing dilemmas, and finally after the passage of years\nbe overthrown or come to the United States and ask for the\nassistance it must have in order to continue. The second\nassumption seems to have been that in the meantime we\ncould, undisturbed, except perhaps by certain local\nphenomena, build up our position and the position of friendly\ngroups in the countries of southeast Asia and interest\nIndia and Pakistan; therefore, that we would have great\nfreedom of action, that the Chinese Communists would have\nan"
}