Cable from the Chinese Embassy in Algeria, 'Reactions to China's Testing of a Nuclear Bomb'

Cabled Received by the [Chinese] Foreign Ministry

Level: Urgent

Received from the Algerian Station

Foreign Ministry Incoming (64) You (949)

Reactions to China's Testing of a Nuclear Bomb

To the Foreign Ministry:

When news of our successful testing of an atomic bomb spread, the Albanian and [North] Vietnamese ambassadors, [North] Korean chargé d'affaires and the representative of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam in Algeria all came to our embassy to send their congratulations. The Cuban ambassador in Algeria had also called to congratulate us when he heard the news.

The ambassadors of Asian and African countries whom I had interacted with had all congratulated us in person. The Guinean Ambassador to Algeria warmly congratulated us for our great achievement and hoped that we would achieve new victories in other areas. He said: “Now there is assurance that there will be world peace.” The Ghanaian Ambassador to Algeria and the First Secretary also congratulated us on this major victory. The Ghanaian Ambassador said: “China’s atomic bomb belongs to all the Asian and African peoples. Even though the United States is trying its best to downplay this achievement and said that it was still in its early stages and at a low level, but we have an atomic bomb anyhow and we are on par with them.” He asked that we send his congratulations to our government and Premier Zhou. The Syrian chargé d'affaires and the cultural attaché had also congratulated us saying: “Your victory is ours, we believe that you will definitely use it for peaceful undertakings”.

                                                                                       [Chinese] Embassy in Algeria

                                                                                                            19 October 1964