Memorandum of Conversation with Charge d’ Affaires of the Chinese Embassy Qiao Xiaoguang

Top Secret

Copy No. 3

DIARY

Charge d’ Affairs of the USSR in the DPRK

Petrov A.M

For the period from 20 July to 3 August 1956

3 August

I met with the charge d’ affaires of the Chinese embassy, comrade Qiao Xiaoguang at his initiative.

Cde. Qiao asked me to inform him about the results of the trip of the DPRK government delegation to the USSR.  I explained about the additional economic aid of the USSR to the DPRK and then in turn asked Qiao if the Korean friends had not asked the Chinese government about granting additional economic aid.  Qiao replied in the negative, though noted that in conversations with individual workers in the State Planning Committee, the latter say that for the government of the DPRK a proposal, which after being examined by the government, the DPRK will, of course, be given to the government of the Peoples’ Republic of China.  As far as Qiao knows, the embassy of the DPRK in Beijing gave a draft protocol about the deliveries of commodities for 1957 between the PRC and the DPRK.  According to this draft, the PRC must send to Korea various commodities totaling 200 million Yuan in 1957, while, according to the draft it is proposed that from the side of the DPRK, goods totaling 40 million Yuan will be sent.  The gap, in Qiao’s opinion, they plan to cover over as aid from China, which they, of course, plan to ask for.  

During the discussion, com Qiao further mentioned that individual Korean comrades show interest in how matters stand with the cult of personality in China in their discussions with officials at the Chinese embassy.  In response to my question, how the Chinese comrades answered that question, Qiao said that in answering they quote the well known decree of the CC Chinese Communist Party, published at that time in the newspaper Renmin Ribao.^[1]

The character of the meeting was friendly.

Charge d’ Affaires

Of the USSR in the DPRK /A. Petrov/

4 Copies issued

1- cde. Shepilov

2- cde. Federenko

3- cde. Kurdyukov

No. 850

4.VIII.56

^[1]Editor’s Note: Qiao is likely referring to the article "On the Historical Experience of the Dictatorship of the Proletariat" published in Renmin Ribao on 5April 1956