The origins of proletarian diplomacy: The Chinese attack on the American Embassy in the Soviet Union, 4 March 1965

Abstract

The attack by several thousand, mostly East Asian, students on the American embassy in the Soviet Union on 4 March 1965 was one of the most violent assaults on a diplomatic mission in the 1960s. It occurred in the wake of the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations, the US escalation of the Vietnam War, and massive Soviet aid offers to North Vietnam. The attack was very likely organized and supported by the Chinese authorities and designed to damage the international reputation of the Soviet Union while deflecting from Chinese government attempts to limit and obstruct Soviet military aid to North Vietnam. It also set a precedent for the subsequent violence against foreign missions in China during the Cultural Revolution.