Recent news stories have speculated on the possibility that former President Richard Nixon might be named our first Ambassador to Red China. Although that is highly unlikely, pressure appears to be building up to extend full diplomatic recognition to Mainland China by shifting our representative with Ambassadorial rank from Taipei to Peiping.
Former Secretary of State Dean Acheson once made an apt remark when he said, “The conduct of Red China must greatly improve before attaining the level of barbarism.” Neither the passage of time nor the Nixon opening to Red China have made the Mao-Chou regime any less the enemy of freedom, and religion that it has always been.
The Red Chinese dictatorship deliberately liquidated at least 20 million Chinese, violated the sacred institution of the family by forcing people into communes, persecuted all clergy and missionaries, committed savage aggression and genocide on the Tibetan race, seized territory from India, made the production and distribution of narcotics an organized government monopoly netting billions in illicit profits, stole millions of dollars of U.S. property, committed a sneak, aggressive attack on Korea, and waged continuing aggression in Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos.
Some people make the argument that “you can’t ignore 800,000,000 people — they exist!” Well, Sirhan Sirhan and James Earl Ray exist, too, but civilized people don’t invite them to dinner.
Some people argue that we should forgive and forget the fact that the United Nations officially branded Red China as an aggressor in Korea, just as we have forgiven and forgotten the attacks on America by Japan and Germany in World War II. But Japan and Germany threw out their war-starting governments before we welcomed them into the family of nations. Red China, on the other hand, still has the same criminal gang in control. This gang has not renounced treaty-breaking, no-warning wars, religious persecution, or any other of their uncivilized policies.
Other people argue that, since we recognize the Soviet Union, why shouldn’t we treat Mainland China the same way? The first answer to this is that two wrongs don’t make a right. The second answer is that the Soviet Union remained weak and no threat to our security during the period that four American Presidents refµsed to recognize the Communist government. As soon as diplomatic recognition was granted, the Soviets began using the embassy as a center of espionage, subversion and propaganda.
There is every reason to anticipate that the Red Chinese would do likewise. We know that they are already doing this furtively on our college campuses, and extensively throughout Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Diplomatic recognition would give the Chinese Reds a choice privileged sanctuary in Washington, D.C. to serve as headquarters for their spying and subversion.
When it comes to the question of Red China, the old French say ing sums it all up: The more things change, the more they remain the same.
