Certainly one of the more bizarre moments in the discussions between Kissinger and Mao has come to light. From AP, via CNN:
“You know, China is a very poor country,” Mao said, according to a document released by the State Department’s historian office.
“We don’t have much. What we have in excess is women. So if you want them we can give a few of those to you, some tens of thousands.”
…”It is such a novel proposition,” Kissinger replied in his discussion with Mao in Beijing. “We will have to study it.”
AFP has more details on the meeting:
The leaders then spoke briefly about the threat posed by the Soviet Union, with Mao saying he hoped Moscow would attack China and be defeated.
But Mao said: “We have so many women in our country that don’t know how to fight.”
The assistant Chinese foreign minister, Wang Haijung, then cautioned Mao that if the minutes of the conversation were made public “it would incur the public wrath”.
