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delegation from the Beijing China Council for the Promotion of
International Trade. The meeting was carefully choreographed by Kissinger
and Scowcroft. The Ford Library has preserved a supplementary memo to
Scowcroft, at that time the NSC chief, from Richard H. Solomon of the NSC
staff, which reads as follows: "Regarding the President's meeting with the
Chinese trade group, State has called me requesting that Ambassador Bush
and [Kissinger henchman] Phil Habib attend the meeting. You will recall
having approved Bush's sitting in on the President's meeting with the
Congressional delegation that recently returned from China. Hence, Bush
will be floating around the White House at this period of time anyway. I
personally think it would be useful to have Bush and Habib sit in. The
Cabinet Room should be able to hold them. Win[ston] Lord is someone else
who might be invited." This meeting was eventually held on September 8,
1975.
A little earlier, Bush, en route to Washington, had sent a hand-written
note to Scowcroft dated August29, 1975. This missive urged Scowcroft to
grant a request from Codel Anderson, who had just completed a visit to
China complete with a meeting with Deng Xiaoping, to be allowed to report
back to Ford personally.
These were the type of contacts which later paid off for Bush's cronies.
During 1977, Bush returned to China as a private citizen, taking with him
his former Zapata business partner, J. Hugh Liedtke. In January 1978,
Liedtke was on hand when the Chinese oil minister was Bush's guest for
dinner at his home in Houston. In May 1978, Liedtke and Pennzoil were at
the top of the Chinese government's list of U.S. oil firms competing to be
accorded contracts for drilling in China. Then, in the late summer of 1978,
J. Hugh Liedtke of Pennzoil made another trip to China, during which he was
allowed to view geological studies which had previously been held as state
secrets by Beijing. Pennzoil was in the lead for a contract to begin oil
drilling in the South China Sea. / Note #1 / Note #6
Kissinger made four visits to Beijing during Bush's tenure there. On
October 19, 1975, Kissinger arrived in Beijing to prepare for Ford's visit,
set for December. There were talks between Kissinger and Deng Xiaoping,
with Bush, Habib, Winston Lord and Foreign Minister Qiao taking part. It
was during this visit that, Bush would have us believe, he had his first
face-to-face meeting with Mao Zedong, the leader of a Communist revolution
which had claimed the lives of some 100 million Chinese since the end of
the Second World War.
Meeting of the Monsters
Mao, one of the greatest monsters of the twentieth century, was 81 years
old at that time. He was in very bad health; when he opened his mouth to
meet Kissinger, "only guttural noises emerged." Mao's study contained
tables covered with tubes and medical apparatus, and a small oxygen tank.
Mao was unable to speak coherently, but had to write Chinese characters and
an occasional word in English on a note pad which he showed to his
interpreters. Kissinger inquired as to Mao's health. Mao pointed to his
head saying, "This part works well. I can eat and sleep." Then Mao tapped
his legs: "These parts do not work well. They are not strong when I walk. I
also have some trouble with my lungs. In a word, I am not well. I am a
showcase for visitors," Mao summed up. The croaking, guttural voice
continued: "I am going to heaven soon. I have already received an
invitation from God."
If Mao was a basso profondo of guttural croaking, then Kissinger was at
least a bass-baritone: "Don't accept it too soon," he replied. "I accept
the orders of the Doctor," wrote Mao on his note pad. Mao at this point had
slightly less than a year to live. Bush provided counterpoint to these
lower registers with his own whining tenor.
Bush was much impressed by Mao's rustic background and repertoire of
Chinese barnyard expressions. Referring to a certain problem in
Sino-American relations, Mao dismissed it as no more important than a "fang
go pi," no more important than a dog fart.
Mao went on, commenting about U.S. military superiority, and then saying:
"God blesses you, not us. God does not like us because I am a militant
warlord, also a Communist. No, he doesn't like me. He likes you three." Mao
pointed to Kissinger, Bush and Winston Lord.
Toward the end of the encounter, this lugubrious monster singled out Bush
for special attention. Mao turned to Winston Lord. "This ambassador," said
Mao while gesturing toward Bush, "is in a plight. Why don't you come
visit?" "I would be honored," Bush replied according to his own account,
"but I'm afraid you're very busy." "Oh, I'm not busy," said Mao. "I don't
look after internal affairs. I only read the international news. You should
really come visit."
Bush claims / Note #1 / Note #7 that he never accepted Chairman Mao's [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]