December 15, 1955
Journal of Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK V. I. Ivanov for 15 December 1955
SOVIET EMBASSY IN THE DPRK
Secret
Copy Nº 3
[USSR MFA Far East Department stamp:
[[4865]]s
31 Dec 55]
JOURNAL
OF SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN THE DPRK Cde. V. I. IVANOV
for the period from 4 through 15 December
1955
Pyongyang 1955
01263
[…]
15 December
I visited Nam Il and informed him that on 8 December Skrzeszewski, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Polish People's Republic, had informed our Ambassador, Ponomarenko, that the Swedish envoy in Warsaw von Post had asked the Polish government on behalf of his government to consider favorably the Swedish proposal to reorganize the Neutral Nations Korean Armistice Supervisory Commission, and also that Skrzeszewski, in reply to Post, had stressed that the Polish government continues to favor the position of observing the international agreements and changes might be made only within the framework of these provisions of these agreements, without violating them.
In addition, at a reception in the Finnish Embassy in Warsaw on 6 December Post touched on this issue in a conversation with Ogrodzinski, the director of a Polish MFA department, stressing that this proposal from their side is a compromise from which they cannot retreat, taking Swedish public opinion into consideration and a resolute desire to avoid conflicts with Syngman Rhee.
The same statement was made to Ogrodzinski by the Swiss envoy.
Nam Il said that he had been visited by Chinese Ambassador Pan Zili and reported the same thing, but supposedly the Swiss favor strengthening the Neutral Commission, increasing its rights, and including one more representative in order to have an odd number of members. Thus, the position of the Swiss differs from the Swedes, although we know that their positions on this issue are almost identical.
Pan Zili could not explain to Nam Il the position of the Swiss and the Swedes' difference from it; therefore, Pan Zili promised to ask the Chinese MFA about this issue.
SOVIET AMBASSADOR IN THE DPRK [signature] (V. IVANOV)
Four copies
1 - Cde. Molotov
2 - Cde. Fedorenko
3 - Cde. Kurdyukov
4 - to file
Drafted by Ivanov
Printed M/B [SIC]
Nº 854
21 December 1955
Ivanov tells Nam Il that the Polish government is in favor of Sweden’s and Switzerland’s proposal to reorganize the Neutral Nations Korean Armistice Supervisory Commission. Nam Il says he is still unsure about the motives of the Swedish and Swiss governments.
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