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Friday, 7 January

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Friday, 7 January

Dull, light snow

 

At 5.00 in the afternoon, the newly-appointed Australian Minister to the Soviet Union, J. Maloney, visited me. When he was in Australia, he was responsible for wartime production control. According to him, since the war started Australian industrial development has been unbelievable. The control method has been that all departments of both employees and employers would dispatch representatives. They would then have detailed discussions and would draw up plans. If the government adopted the plan, then it was sent to both employees’ and employers’ organisations beforehand, together with detailed explanation about the reasons for the plans (the reason for adopting this plan and the method of implementation), so they would be clear before working out the plan. And then the said organisation would explain and publicise the plan to its members. So, production control faced no difficulty. This so-called “Democratic planned economy” is a wonderful system as the Australian employees’ and employers’ organisations in Australia are sophisticated. I asked him if this production control would continue after the war. He said apart from one or two small departments, like a section of the construction department, it would be continued after the war. He said that during the war, Australian inflation only went up to about 23%, and the month before last there were signs of it going down. Recently I have read books written by the British on politics and economics, and editorials in British newspapers. I feel that the British now realise their mistakes, and are determined to undergo fundamental reform. They are, for example, 1) Determined to use the army to cooperate with the United States and the Soviet Union, in order to maintain the peace of the world. 2) No longer to manipulate small countries to counter big countries. 3) To defeat aggressive states like Germany and Japan, and determined to defeat them until they cannot stand up.4) With regard to internal politics, the British Government has tried its best to control capital, and strengthen its control power, especially in the public sector. 5) Determined to carry out social salvation. If this is the case it will match my observation that Britain will be gradually inclined to Socialism, and will move forward to the Left, while the Soviet Union becomes much stronger and will move towards the Right. Then it is not difficult for Britain and the Soviet Union to find a meeting point, which will be beneficial for the whole world. What I hope now is that the United States can move forward like Britain, and our important military and political figures should understand the world trends, strive hard, and lead the Chinese public to do their best, so as to relay our regards for the sacrifice of our soldiers and civilians, and the hard work of Dr. Sun Yatsen.

 

I wrote to Chen Weicheng, asking him to buy books and order several magazines for me in Britain.