Record of Conversation between Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Vasily Kuznetsov and the North Korean Ambassador to the Soviet Union Kim Byeong-jik

21 May 1965

I received the ambassador of the DPRK comrade Kim Byeong-jik [Kim Pyong Jik] on his request. The ambassador informed me that comrade Kim Il Sung expressed great satisfaction that the Soviet Union had agreed to give the DPRK, free of charge, weapons and military equipment in the amount of 150 million rubles. Comrade Kim Il Sung asked me to convey his deep gratitude to the Soviet government.

At the same time comrade Kim Il Sung, the ambassador said, gave the instruction to the military delegation to request [from the Soviet Union] further aid on top of the 150 million rubles. We are talking about increasing two-fold the amount of the antiaircraft guns “ground-air” (from 4 to 8 divisions), which would help in organizing the defense of large cities. Besides this, the ambassador said, we need weapons for coastal defense and 57 mm howitzers. If this additional request is satisfied, the total amount of aid will exceed 150 million rubles.

[I] told Kim Byeong-jik that I would report to the Soviet government what the ambassador said. [I] asked the ambassador whether the Korean military delegation would raise the question of additional supplies of weapons during the talks.

Kim Byeong-jik replied in the affirmative, and explained that he told [me] about the additional request of the Korean side for my information.

The meeting was attended by the 1st secretary of the D[alne]V[ostochny]O[tdel] [Far Eastern Department] Nemchinov V.S. and 3rd secretary of the DVO Putivets A.D. The conversation was interpreted by Kim Hen Son, member of the staff of the DPRK Embassy.

DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE USSR
[Signature] (V. Kuznetsov)