Sino-Indian Conflict and the Sino-Soviet Alliance } 153
its important friend India. China should find a way to improve relations
with India, an important neutral country, Khrushchev told China’s leaders.
Chinese leaders rejected the Soviet appeal. Chen Yi took the lead in rebutting
Khrushchev’s assertion. Replying “very angrily,” according to Wu Lengxi,
Chen said that as a socialist country and head of the socialist camp, how was
it even possible that the Soviet Union was supporting a capitalist country?
The atmosphere of the discussion was “extremely tense.” Peng Zhen joined in,
leaving an angry Khrushchev to charge the CCP with being “adventurists”
and “narrow nationalists.” Mao did not join in the confrontation over India,
but drew it to a close by saying, “Regarding things concerning China, we hope
that our Soviet comrades will listen to China’s opinion, understand the sit-
uation, first of all consult China, discuss with China, and then take a posi-
tion. This way will be better.”^10 In other words, Mao expected its Soviet ally to
follow China’s lead in matters involving China’s interests. This acrimonious
meeting was to be the last between Mao and Khrushchev.
Soviet-American Détente and the Final
Mao-Khrushchev Confrontation
In 1959, Soviet-American relations began their first thaw since the onset
of the Cold War. In April, John Foster Dulles died and was replaced as
Secretary of State by Christian Herter. Moscow welcomed the change as
offering a more “realistic” US approach, making détente possible. Contacts
between Washington and Moscow expanded rapidly. By July, Eisenhower
and Khrushchev were engaged in a private correspondence. The two leaders
achieved a degree of rapport and agreed on a number of issues. On August
16, reciprocal summit visits were announced. As Soviet-American ties
warmed, Chinese media bitterly polemicized against unnamed people who
failed to see that aggression and threat of war by US imperialism continued
undiminished.
In June, Moscow had informed Beijing that it was suspending nuclear coop-
eration with China under the 1957 agreement. In his memoir, Khrushchev said
a prototype atomic bomb was packed up and ready to send to China, when a
last-minute decision was made not to send it.^11 The reason Moscow gave Beijing
for the suspension was that negotiations were underway between the United
States and Britain on a test ban treaty, and Soviet-Chinese nuclear cooperation
might interfere with those talks.^12 Beijing asked Moscow not to sign a partial
test ban treaty (PTBT) with the United States and Britain, on the grounds that
such an arrangement would contradict Article III of the 1950 treaty that had
provided that neither signatory “would take part in any coalition or actions
or measures directed against the other.” Moscow declined Beijing’s request
and moved ahead with the PTBT. On July 25, 1962, the PTBT was initialed by