Journal of Soviet Ambassador in the DPRK A.M. Puzanov for 7 February 1960

USSR EMBASSY IN THE DPRK [faded USSR SECRET Copy Nº 3

MFA stamp:

Nº 20 0421s

17 February 1960 24 February 1960]

[handwritten:

"to Cdes. [[I. I. Varnov]] and Samsonov, G. Ye.

25 February 1960 [[illegible signature]]"]

JOURNAL

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

1 February through 15 February 1960

Pyongyang

[…]

7 February 1960

I was at a festive meeting devoted to the 12^th anniversary of the creation of the Korean People's Army along with the [other] ambassadors. Kim Chang-bong, Chief of the General Staff, gave a report. In his report he noted that the proposals of the Soviet Government about general and complete disarmament and the visit to the US by Cde. N. S. Khrushchev were an especially great contribution to the cause of lessening international tension and preserving peace in the entire world.

Kim Chang-bong said the Korean people together with all people of good will in the entire world warmly support the Declaration of the member countries of the Warsaw Pact, express their complete solidarity with it, and vigorously demand the Western powers follow the effective example of the Soviet Union.

In my opinion the report says too much about the Korean People's Army having been created "on the basis of the experience of the creation of the armed forces and the high revolutionary traditions accumulated in the course of the armed anti-Japanese struggle". At the same time the report does not speak of the Korean People's Army' study and borrowing of the experience of the Soviet Army. In saying that the Korean People's Army defended the honor and independence of their own country in a savage struggle the speaker said nothing at all that hundreds of thousands of Chinese people's volunteers fought shoulder to shoulder and shed their blood together with the Korean army and people.

The following statement made in Kim Chang-bong's report seems to us to be unjustified; "If the aggressive forces of the American imperialists were withdrawn from South Korea, like the Chinese volunteers, and the occupation of South Korea were ended our motherland would already be united by peaceful means and the people of South Korea together with the people of the northern part of the republic could live a happy life filled with hope" (emphasis mine).

KWP CC Presidium members were present at the festive meeting except Kim Il Sung (for reasons unknown to us) and Choe Yong-geon, Kim Il, and Pak Jeong-ae, who are on business trips.

I asked acting minister Pak Gwang-seon to arrange for me to be received by Kim Il Sung in connection with a CPSU CC instruction I had. Pak Gwang-seon promised to do it.

In a conversation which took place Go Hui-man, Minister of the Timber Industry, said that the logging being conduced by the DPRK in Khabarovsk Kray is a profitable and economically sensible measure, although some officials also express doubt in connection with sending a considerable number (more than 5,000) people for logging. Last year a total of more than 620,000 cubic meters of wood were logged against the planned 490,000. More than 300,000 of this amount came to the DPRK. This year according to the plan no less than 900,000 cubic meters should be logged. Go Hui-man very warmly recalled the great attention, concern, and help from the Khabarovsk Kray Party Committee and the rayon Party committees in organizing the work at the lumber camps.

The ambassadors warmly expressed gratitude for the quick distribution (on 6 February) of the Declaration of the member countries of the Warsaw Pact.

[…]

USSR AMBASSADOR IN THE DPRK

[signature] (A. PUZANOV)

Five copies printed vp

1 - Cde. A. A. Gromyko

2 - Cde. Yu. V. Andropov

3 - DVO, USSR MFA

4 - Cde. I. I. Tugarinov

5 - to file

Nº 166 17 February 1960