From the Diary of K.A. Krutikov, 'Memorandum of Conversation with Zhou Enlai, 1 February 1958'

[stamped] 03800

From the Diary of K.A. Krutikov

Secret Copy No. 2

6 February 1958

No. 38

Memorandum of Conversation with Zhou Enlai

1 February 1958.

Zhou Enlai visited at his request. (Ambassador P.F. Yudin was sick.)           

Zhou Enlai said that he wants to relay today the answer of the CCP CC and the PRC government to the Soviet proposal relayed to him on 27 January 1958 regarding the creation of a non-atomic zone in Asia.           

Zhou Enlai stated that “the proposal on creating a non-atomic zone in Asia has great benefit in the cause of diminishing international tension and in the struggle against the threat of atomic war.”           

The CCP CC and the PRC government, Zhou Enlai said, fully approves of the proposal.           

Then he advised that this proposal of the Soviet Union could be linked with Nehru’s proposals on creating and expanding a zone of peace. Zhou Enlai underscored that Nehru’s proposals were already supported at the time by the PRC and Soviet Union. In our opinion, he said, there can be talk about creating such a zone in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, including in it Japan, China (at this, Zhou Enlai twice emphasized that Taiwan was part of China), Korea, the countries of Indochina, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaya, Thailand, Burma, India, Ceylon, Pakistan, Australia and other countries. In general, he repeated, all the countries of South Asia must enter into it, beginning with Pakistan to the west.

[handwritten:] to go to the archive.

The information was used in work on China.

Sector lead, CPSU CC department

[illegible name]

3 April 1958

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