Journal of Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK A.M. Puzanov for 1 August 1957

Nº 482

1 August 1957

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SOVIET EMBASSY IN THE DPRK

Nº 182

16/17 August 1957

[faded image of a stamp:

[[TOP SECRET]]

Incoming 02277-ss;

28 August 1957]

TOP SECRET

Copy Nº 1

[handwritten: 010097ss]

[handwritten: AVPRF F.0102. O.13 D.72 Delo 5]

The Journal of Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK A. M. PUZANOV

for the period 1 through 15 August 1957

Pyongyang

1 August 1957

I visited Kim Il Sung. In connection with Ho Chi Minh's request I informed Kim Il Sung that at Ho Chi Minh's request the CPSU CC and Soviet government had decided to allocate one billion rubles to an aid fund for the population of North Vietnam, which is suffering from floods.

Having heard the information, Kim Il Sung said that the population of North Vietnam needed to be helped and the DPRK will give aid. We will consult about the size of the aid and report separately (50,000 rubles was allocated to the aid fund).

Kim Il Sung informed me about the following issues in the conversation which took place:

a) concerning the merger of several ministries. The KWP CC and DPRK government have already decided the issue of merging some ministries, namely:

the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Culture and Propaganda into the Ministry of Education and Culture;

the Directorate of Construction Materials with the Ministry of Construction;

the Ministry of Procurement and Food with the Ministry of Municipal Services into the Ministry of Local Services (the name is tentative). The management functions of state bodies will be transferred to this ministry since the Directorate for Local Issues under the Cabinet of Ministers is being disbanded.

With respect to a merger of industrial ministries they have decided to refrain for now, inasmuch industry is faced with large issues regarding further development.

For my part I noted that it was not comprehensible why low-level state bodies should be managed by a ministry. According to the constitution they are directly subordinate to the Cabinet of Ministers. The leadership of the Cabinet of Ministers can charge Gosplan and corresponding ministries with examining particular issues raised by provincial people's committees.

He also said that he was interrupting the leave granted him until 15 August, but right now leave had been granted to Choe Yong-geon [Choe Yong Gon].

Nam Il was present at the conversation, which lasted two hours…

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