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PAGE 01 PEKING 00951 301053Z
14
ACTION EA-14
INFO OCT-01 EUR-25 ADP-00 NSCE-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 PM-07
H-03 INR-10 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-10 PA-03 RSC-01 PRS-01
SS-15 USIA-15 NIC-01 RSR-01 /110 W
--------------------- 094894
P R 300840Z AUG 73
FM USLO PEKING
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 640
INFO AMEMBASSY TAIPEI
AMEMBASSY TOKYO
AMCONSUL HONG KONG
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
CINCPAC
C O N F I D E N T I A L PEKING 0951
CINCPAC FOR POLAD
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: PINT, CH
SUBJ: TENTH PARTY CONGRESS
1. ATMOSPHERICS. LOCAL RESPONSE TO NEWS OF PARTY CONGRESS
HAS LACKED ENTHUSIASM OR MILITANCE. AS NINE P.M. AUGUST 29
BROADCAST BEGAN TO REPORT RESULTS OF MEETING, DECORATIVE LIGHTS
ON BUILDINGS ALL OVER PEKING (EXCEPT REVOLUTIONARY MUSEUM AND
GREAT HALL OF THE PEOPLE) WENT ON. SHORTLY THEREAFTER SMALL
KNOTS OF RATHER DESULTORY MARCHERS, MOSTLY YOUNG PEOPLE, STARTED
PARADING AROUND STREETS OF CAPITAL BEHIND RED FLAGS, CYMBALS,
DRUMS, AND PORTRAITS OF CHAIRMAN MAO. THEIR PATTERS OF MARCH
WERE CAREFULLY CONTROLLED TO COVER SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS, WITH NO
LARGE CROWDS PERMITTED TO COLLECT. TIEN AN MEN SQUARE
RELATIVELY EMPTY. THE LARGEST GROUPS, REACHING PERHAPS
SEVERAL HUNDRED EACH, WERE SEEN IN FRONT OF THE MIN TSU AND HSIN
CHIAO HOTELS, AS IF GATHERED THERE FOR THE BENEFIT OF FOREIGN
VISITORS. THERE WERE A FEW SCATTERED FIRECRACKERS AND SKYROCKETS.
SLOGANS WERE MUTTERED EN MASSE RATHER THAN SHOUTED IN ANY
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DISCIPLINED OR ENERGETIC WAY. THOSE FEW PEKING RESIDENTS WHO
WERE OUT ON THE STREETS AND NOT MARCHING MOVED ABOUT WITHOUT
JOINING IN. ONE WORKER WELDING A SECTION OF PIPE NEAR THE OLD CITY
MOAT DID NOT EVEN STOP TO LOOK UP AS THE MASSES SHAMBLED BY.
THE SPECIAL LIGHTS WENT OUT PROMPTLY AT MIDNIGHT, BY WHICH TIME
MOST MARCHERS WERE WELL IN THEIR BEDS. MARCHING ACTIVITY
CONTINUES AUGUST 30 ON SLIGHTLY LARGER SCALE THOUGH WITH NO
INCREASE IN VERVE.
2. DOCUMENTS. THE ONLY DOCUMENTS PUBLISHED SO FAR ARE THE
CONGRESS COMMUNIQUE AND THE LISTS OF THE PRAESIDIUM, CENTRAL
COMMITTEE AND ALTERNATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS. LISTS ARE
IN STROKE ORDER AND GIVE NO HINT OF PRECEDENCE, BUT THE ORDER IN
WHICH THE PICTURES WHICH FILL AUGUST 30 "PEOPLE'S DAILY"
APPEAR MAY PROVIDE SOME CLUES. FIRST PAGE, OF COURSE, CARRIES
ENORMOUS PICTURE OF CHAIRMAN MAO. PAGE 2 - COMMUNIQUE AND
NAME LISTS, PAGE 3 - TOP - MAO SEATED AT ROSTRUM DESK WITH
CHOU EN-LAI ON RIGHT AND WANG HUNG-WEN ON LEFT; BOTTOM - TENTH
CONGRESS PRAESIDIUM SEATED IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE GREAT HALL OF
PEOPLE; PAGE 4 - EIGHT PHOTOS, WHICH FROM LEFT TO RIGHT DOWN
THE PAGE SHOW THE FOLLOWING: A. MAO ALONE; B. CHOU, KANG
SHENG (LOOKING VERY FRAIL) AND LI TE-SHENG; C. YEH
CHIEN-YING AND WANG HUNG-WEN; D. LIU PO-CH'ENG, CHU TE, AND
CHEN HSI-LIEN; E. CHIANG CH'ING (RATHER SOMBER) AND CHANG
CH'UN-CH'IAO; F. YAO WEN-YUAN (DISTINCTLY GRUMPY) BESIDE CHI
TENG-K'UEI AND HUA KUO-FENG; G. TUNG PI-WU, LI HSIEN-NIEN, AND
HSU SHIH-YU; AND H. WANG TUNG-HSING AND WU TE.
3. A QUICK LOOK AT THE CONGRESS NAME LISTS SUGGESTS THAT
CHOU EN-LAI HAS MANAGED ANOTHER TIGHTROPE WALK. THE RISE OF
YOUNG MEN LIKE WANG HUNG-WEN IS BALANCED BY THE RETURNED
REHABILITEES LIKE LI CHING-CH'UAN AND T'AN CHEN-LIN.
THERE ARE FEWER MILITARY MEN, MORE WOMEN. THE STATE
COUNCIL APPEARS TO HAVE DONE WELL.
4. SPECIFIC DENUNCIATIONS OF LIN PIAO AND CHEN PO-TA
ASIDE, THE COMMUNIQUE IS COUCHED IN THE BROADEST TERMS. THE
U.S. IS LUMPED WITH THE USSR AS A SUPER POWER WHOSE "HEGEMONISM" IS
TO BE OPPOSED. AT THE SAME TIME, THE SOVET UNION IS SINGLED OUT FOR
SPECIAL TREATMENT WITH A WARNING TO BE ON GUARD AGAINST
SURPRISE ATTACKS BY "SOCIAL-IMPERIALISM." WE NOTE
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BENEATH THE RHETORIC THAT SEVERAL MFA OFFICIALS INSTRUMENTAL IN
THE DETENTE WITH THE U.S., I.E., UN AMBASSADOR HUANG HUA,
FONMIN CHI P'ENG-FEI, VICE FONMIN CH'IAO KUAN-HUA, WERE
HONORED WITH MEMBERSHIP IN THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE. PRCLO CHIEF
HUANG CHEN REMAINS A MEMBER, AND NANCY T'ANG, CHOU'S INTERPRETER,
WAS ELECTED AS A CENTRAL COMMITTEE ALTERNATE.
5. ANOMALIES. SEVERAL THINGS STRIKE US AS ODD ABOUT THE
CONGRESS:
A. BREVITY. FIVE DAYS IS THE SHORTEST CONGRESS SINCE THE
COMMUNISTS CAME TO POWER. THE DEFENSIVE REFERENCES IN THE
COMMUNIQUE TO "REPEATED DELIBERATIONS AND CONSULTATIONS"
DEMONSTRATE LEADERSHIP'S SENSITIVITY TO POTENTIAL CHARGES THAT
THE CONGRESS WAS A PUT US RUSH JOB.
B. SECRECY. THIS IS THE FIRST CONGRESS SINCE THE COMMUNISTS
TOOK POWER THAT HAS NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED AT THE OUTSET. WE WOULD
SPECULATE THAT THE CONGRESS PLANNERS WERE WORRIED ENOUGH ABOUT
POSSIBLE MISHAPS TO RISH CREATING A NON-DEMOCRATIC CENTRALIST IMAGE.
C. LOCATION. THE COMMUNIQUE SAYS THE MEETING TOOK PLACE
IN PEKING, AND THE PICTURES IN THE PEOPLE'S DAILY SEEM TO BE
TAKEN IN THE GREAT HALL. WE HAVE NO IDEA, HOWEVER, OF HOW THE
DELEGATES GOT THERE, AS THERE WERE FEW SIGNS OF ACTIVITY AROUND THE
GREAT HALL ON THE DAYS THE CONGRESS REPORTEDLY BEING HELD.
D. ABSENT PERSONNEL. SEVERAL IMPORTANT CENTRAL COMMITTEE
MEMBERS, NOTABLY SAIFUDIN AND YANG YUNG, APPEARED IN THEIR
HOME PROVINCES ON AUGUST 26, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
CONGRESS. OTHER LEADERS, LIKE TENG HSIAO-PING MADE SOME
RATHER ROUTINE APPEARANCES. ALL OF THESE MAY HAVE BEEN A STUDIED
EFFORT TO KEEP THE CONGRESS SECRET, BUT THEY ARE UNUSUAL. OUR
INITIAL SUMMARY IMPRESSION IS THAT THE CONGRESS WAS CAREFULLY
MANAGED PRODUCTION, LABORIOUSLY PREPARED, AND HELD IN SECRET BY
AN APPREHENSIVE LEADERSHIP, ANXIOUS TO CONFIRM NEW LINEUP
WHILE PRESSURE FOR FURTHER CHANGE COULD STILL BE KEPT IN HAND.
JENKINS
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