Cable from Peng Zhen, 'Comrade Peng Zhen on His Reception by the Korean Side'

Cable Received by the Central Committee [of the Chinese Communist Party]

(62) No. 375

(Extra Urgent)

Comrade Peng Zhen on His Reception by the [North] Korean Side

To the Central Committee and the Chairman [Mao Zedong]: (secret)

1. The [North] Korean side was extremely cordial and warm toward our delegation. From the welcoming at the train station to the banquet, from the meetings with Comrades Choe Yong-geon and Kim Il Sung to the mass meeting, the [North] Korean side placed great emphasis on [our] party ties. The [North] Korean side, including the main party and government leaders, all made an appearance at the reception; those who went down to the train station to give welcoming speeches did so in the name of the party leadership. Jeong Il-yong's welcoming remarks were also made in the name of the [Korean Workers'] Party Central Committee. The activities arranged for our delegation were not simply those made for a delegation of the National People's Congress; rather, they were handled to the specifications of a party and government delegation.

2. At noon on the 24th, Comrade Kim Il Sung had lunch with our delegation. Kim discussed the following points with me:

(1) [He] hopes to hold several grand public spectacles this year and next year, so much so that he discussed this twice with me.

(2) [He] said again that the Chinese [Communist] Party Central Committee's response to the Central Committee of the CPSU was written very well.

(3) On the memorial to Lenin, "They (the Soviets) bit their tongues."

(4) On activities commemorating the thirtieth anniversary of the anti-Japanese guerrilla unit, the entire [North] Korean National Militia held a parade (Pyongyang had 50,000 members of the militia participate). The main purpose was to educate the young revolutionary generation and to oppose revisionism.

3. While talking, Kim expressed that [he] abhors revisionism and that he is extremely anti-revisionist.

4. Kim plans to have another talk with me tomorrow. Attending from the Korean side were Kim, Choe Yong-geon, Kim Il, Pak Geum-cheol, and a translator.

Peng Zhen

24 April [1962], 11:00 p.m.