Journal of Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK A.M. Puzanov for 13 August 1960

USSR EMBASSY [USSR MFA Far   TOP SECRET

IN THE DPRK East Department stamp:   Copy Nº 3

Nº 139 SECRET Incoming Nº 01968

25 August 1960 12-18 August 1960]

JOURNAL

of Soviet Ambassador in the DPRK A. M. PUZANOV for the period

10 through 23 August 1960

Pyongyang

[…]

13 August 1960

I had instructions to visit Kim Il Sung or the comrade substituting for him and informing him orally about a report of the Soviet Ambassador in the PRC. At Kim Il Sung's request, as a consequence of his being busy with preparations for the celebration of Liberation Day, I visited Deputy KWP CC Chairman Pak Geum-cheol. Minister of Foreign Affairs Pak Seong-cheol was present at the briefing (about the first issue).

Pak Geum-cheol thanked the CPSU CC for the information and said: "I understand everything. These materials are very important and needed and will give the necessary aid in the work of the KWP CC".

Minister Pak Seong-cheol left, referring to the fact that he needed to receive the DRV ambassador in connection with his return to his homeland.

I told Pak Geum-cheol that during my meeting with Kim Il Sung on 24 July he had stated an intention, with the agreement of the Soviet government, to send a DPRK government delegation to the USSR in August or September to conclude a long-term trade agreement. In Moscow they viewed the desire expressed and agreed with the DPRK government's proposal concerning the conclusion of an agreement about mutual deliveries of goods between the USSR and DPRK from 1961 to 1965 and are ready to receive the DPRK government delegation in the second half of September 1960 to hold talks and conclude such an agreement.

Pak Geum-cheol expressed gratitude for meeting their request and said that he would immediately report to the KWP CC and DPRK government about this.

At his own initiative Pak Geum-cheol informed me about the decisions of the KWP CC Plenum which concluded on 11 August. He said the following on this issue:

"The Plenum of the KWP Central Committee considered three issues: technical progress; the training of technical specialists; and the results of the Conference of Communist and worker's Parties of the socialist countries in Bucharest. The materials of the Plenum about the first two issues have been published in the press and you know about them. I will touch only on the third point of the Plenum's agenda in my information.

The report on this issue was made by Deputy Chairman of the KWP CC Kim Chang-man, the leader of the delegation. A draft of the report was carefully examined in the KWP CC Presidium. After this it was reported at the CC Plenum. The materials of the Conference in Bucharest, materials contained in the CPSU CC Information Paper, and also the views of the Chinese comrades were covered in detail in the report. The report notes that all the representatives of the fraternal Communist and worker's Parties in Bucharest unanimously supported the views of the CPSU described in the CPSU CC Information Paper.

I will talk briefly about some international issues touched upon in our report. First of all in our report it speaks with regard to an assessment of the nature of our era, about what, as is known, was aid in the Peace Declaration and Manifesto, and also described in the CPSU CC Information Paper. It is known that the modern age is characterized by a collapse of imperialism and the transition to socialism. We fully agree with this assessment and support it. Our comrades had a negative attitude toward the assessment of the nature of the modern era given by the Chinese comrades as an era of imperialism, wars, and revolutions. We completely agree with the assessment of the Soviet comrades.

It said in the report that the issue of the essence of imperialism was clearly described in the CPSU CC position, but at the present time there are also such forces which provide an opportunity to avert war. But the assertions of the Chinese comrades that the CPSU supposedly thinks that the essence of imperialism has changed are in no way justified.

The policy of peaceful coexistence so clearly formulated at the 20^th and 21^st CPSU congresses was supported by our Party. Both previously and now our comrades support it even more, recognizing that the policy of peaceful coexistence is an inherent problem of modern times. We think that the pursuit of a policy of peaceful coexistence and the preservation of peace is the main policy of the international Communist and worker's movement. It talks about it this way in our report.

In the report we expressed our negative attitude toward the position of the Chinese comrades that the Soviet Union supposedly does not support and help the peoples of colonial and dependent countries. Cuba, Egypt, Algeria, the Congo, and others as an example. The Soviet government and the CPSU have shown their attitude toward the just struggle of the peoples of colonial and dependent countries for their independence. War has been averted more than once thanks to the intervention of the Soviet Union. We know that the USSR gives great help in the struggle of the colonial and dependent countries for their freedom and independence and we entirely support this policy.

It points out in our report that the issue of disarmament has great importance for preserving peace. Both previously and at the present time we also fully support the Soviet Union on this issue.

The report also points out that the conversations which took place during Cde. Kim Il Sung's time in Moscow, the meeting with Cde. N. S. Khrushchev, and the views stated by him about the most important international issues, and other things are completely shared and supported by our comrades. We agree with the Soviet comrades that the Chinese comrades have aggravated the border conflict with India, have turned Nehru into a hero, and have put the Communist Party of India in a difficult position. The Soviet comrades correctly say that previously even kings did not fight because of border issues, but now the Chinese comrades are fighting with India because of a border issue. We also completely agree with the Soviet comrades on this issue.

We think that the differences which have come to light about the most important international issues are difference between the CPC on the one hand, and the entire socialist camp headed by the Soviet Union, on the other.

We also point out in the report that the actions of the Chinese comrades are completely wrong in trying to separate Cde. N. S. Khrushchev from the CPSU. That can by no means be the issue.

In the report we recognize the methods of the Chinese leaders which were used in Peking to force non-Party comrades, trade union officials, to accept their views on a number of international issues to be completely incorrect. We pointed out in the report that this is the method of conspiracy.

In the conclusion of the report it is stressed that the CPSU headed by Cde. N. S. Khrushchev is correctly and consistently pursuing the principles formulated in the Peace Declaration and Manifesto which are a charter of the contemporary Communist and worker's movement. We expressed our complete agreement with the conclusions of the Bucharest conference that the CPSU is the center of the international Communist and worker's movement. At the present time it is necessary to close ranks and strengthen the unity of the socialist camp even more".

In providing information about the decisions of the plenum about the third issue Pak Geum-cheol said that he was telling the spirit of the report in general outlines, but in the report itself all this is described in more detail citing specific facts and examples.

In conclusion Pak Geum-cheol said that the Plenum unanimously adopted an appropriate resolution about this issue.

I thanked Pak Geum-cheol for the information.

The conversation was interpreted by Embassy Third Secretary D. A. Priyemsky and DPRK MFA official Choe Won-sik.

[…]

SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN THE DPRK [signature] (A. PUZANOV)

Five copies printed. at.

1^st - Cde. A. A. Gromyko

2^nd - Cde. Yu. V. Andropov

3^rd - Cde. I. I. Tugarinov

4^th - USSR MFA UVPI

5^th - to file

Nº 414 24 August 1960