Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 16. 12th July 1973
First Meeting with Mao
First Meeting with Mao
Bertram then got the opportunity to go to Yenan. And after having to hide under rice sacks in a truck for part of the way he arrived in the Autumn of 1937 at the Foreign Office of the liberated district. His first meeting with Mao was the graduation day of the Military Academy. Mao was described in the lecture as "a speaker of racy colloquial Chinese, full of 1 wisecracks and proverbs. He has the audience rolling in laughter yet he is making serious political points. He is a successful mass organiser with intellectual force, flexibility and patience". One luncheon with Mao was memorable. Mao had to sign the chit at the restaurant. He leaned over to Bertram and wrote out an I.O.U. for $100 and got him to sign it, saying that if he were to reclaim it in 100 years that there would' not be enough money in the British Treasury to pay for it.