在中美建交前从一九七四到一九七五年的其中五次中美会谈中,按照美方相当仔细的会议记录,每次均出席的邓小平总共朝着痰盂吐痰十六次,在一九七五年十二月 会见福特总统和国务卿基辛格一次吐痰最多,总共六次。该五次中美会谈中有关邓吐痰的描述共有以下八种措词:(一)邓往痰盂里吐痰(Teng spits into his spittoon.);(二)邓再次往盂里吐痰(Teng again spits into his spittoon.);(三)邓再次俯身往痰盂里吐痰(Teng leans down again and spits into the spittoon.);(四)邓俯身大声往痰盂里吐痰(Teng bends over and spits loudly into his spittoon.);(五)邓大声往他椅子旁边的痰盂里吐痰(Teng spits loudly into his spittoon beside his chair.);(六)副总理俯身往他椅子旁边的痰盂里吐痰(The Vice Premier leans down beside his chair and spits into his spittoon.);(七)邓俯身往桌子下面的痰盂里吐痰(Teng bends over next to his seat and spits into a spittoon under the table.);(八)邓俯身到桌子下面,往他椅子旁边的痰盂里吐痰(Teng leans down beneath the table and spits into the spittoon beside his chair.)。邓小平不仅常常吐痰,更多次在对方发言中途吐痰,要对方等他吐完为止。
外国政要深受邓小平吐痰困扰
基辛格其后在其回忆录《白宫岁月》(White House Years)里,就形容邓小平是个 “nasty little man”(肮脏小矮人)。最近基辛格也再提到对邓吐痰不敢恭维,“邓放个痰盂在前面,并不时向着痰盂吐痰,所以他没有周恩来的优雅……”
一九七五年,快将出任美国国务卿的美国外交官万斯(Cyrus Vance)到中国会见邓小平时,就深受邓吐痰所困扰。据国际礼仪专家罗杰(Roger E. Axtell)在其畅销书《世界身体语言之礼与非礼》(The Do‘s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World)的叙述,“每当邓清喉咙,俯身吐痰之际,万斯都不动声色。但观察家的确注意到,每次邓吐痰时,万斯都本能地把腿移离痰盂六寸,并在邓完事之后,把腿移回原位。”