Journal of Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK A.M. Puzanov for 11 April 1957

SOVIET EMBASSY IN THE DPRK TOP SECRET

Nº 35 Copy Nº 2

[USSR MFA Stamp:

Far East Department

Secret

Incoming Nº 01132

3 May 1957]

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

for the period 5 to 12 April 1957

AVPRF F. 0102, Op. 13, P. 72, Delo 5

Pyongyang

[…]

11 April 1957

…

I visited Deputy Chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers Cdes. Kim Il and Hong Myeong-hui.

In the conversation which took place Kim Il directed attention to the fact that the government is paying a great deal of attention to and was interested in the fastest possible restoration of the production of mineral fertilizers at the Heungnam Chemical Works. This is brought about by the fact that the issues of raising the harvest yield depend on the amount of mineral fertilizer applied to the soil. In the current year it is planned to give agriculture up to 250,000 tons of mineral fertilizer against 180,000 tons given agriculture in 1956.

Last year the rice harvest was an average of 27-28 centners per jeongbo; in the current year it is planned to obtain no less than 29 centners. Rice seedlings for 40,000 jeongbo are being cultivated with a new, cold procedure. This work is being mainly done in the province of South Pyeong-an where it is planned to cultivate seedlings with the cold procedure on 24-26% of the planted area of rice.

At the instruction of Cdes. Mikoyan and Mukhitdinov I passed to Kim Il that the Uzbek SSR can give the DPRK up to 500,000 grapevines in the current year. At this point Kim Il noted that the time of the spring planting had already passed, and that grapevines cultivated in Uzbekistan would hardly be suitable for Korea because of the climate conditions. When I asked what results had been obtained from planting the vines sent from the USSR last year Kim Il said that according to available information  about 90,000 of the 100,000 vines had done well. After this he added that we here will carefully discuss the offer of the Uzbek comrades and report additionally.

Speaking of the great aid of the Soviet Union, the PRC, and other countries of the socialist camp in reviving and developing the DPRK economy Hong Myeong-hui, said:

We have some people (he did not name names, but I understood that this was about people who had spoken at the August CC plenum last year) who criticize the KWP CC and DPRK government for the incorrect use of the aid being given. They demand that this aid go directly to meet the needs of the population. However, in his opinion, the KWP CC and government are acting correctly when they develop industry and thereupon raise the standard of living of the population.

At this point Hong Myeong-hui asked what my opinion was about this issue.

I had to tell of the general line of the CPSU, about the priority development of heavy industry and thereupon the development of light industry and agriculture. As regards the development of the DPRK economy then it seems to me that one ought to proceed not from the position of the creation of a closed economy but from the economic advisability of creating and developing individual sectors on the basis of local natural historical and climate conditions. Here it is necessary to take into account the need to strengthen economic ties with the countries of the socialist camp and the developing division of labor among them. Hong Myeong-hui agreed with this.

[…]

SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN THE DPRK

/signature/ (A. Puzanov)

Five copies

Gromyko

Fedorenko

Kurdyukov

Solodovnik

file

1957

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