Stanford University Wins Legal Battle to Keep Diaries of Mao Zedong's Former Secretary

Washington D.C. Stanford University in the United States has been granted ownership of the diaries of Li Rui, the former secretary to modern China's founder Mao Zedong.

A California court delivered the verdict. In his later years, Li Rui was known as a critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He had meticulously written diaries for decades. These diaries are considered highly significant documents for understanding the history of modern China. The collection includes diaries, correspondence, meeting notes, personal remarks, poems, and photographs spanning from 1938 to 2019, covering a long period of CCP rule.

During Li's lifetime, his daughter began donating his diaries to Stanford through the Hoover Institution, stating that the donation was in accordance with her father's wishes. However, after Li's death, his wife filed a lawsuit demanding the documents be returned to Beijing. Stanford argued that returning the diaries would be a fight against Chinese government censorship, fearing they could be restricted or destroyed.

In its decision on Tuesday, the court ruled that the donation was legally valid and aligned with Li Rui's wishes. The court also concluded that Li Rui wanted his documents kept safe outside of China due to fears that they would be kept secret, edited, or destroyed by the CCP.

Condoleezza Rice, the current director of the Hoover Institution and former U.S. Secretary of State, stated that this decision ensures that vital primary records regarding the history of modern China will remain open for study.