Journal of Soviet Ambassador to the DPRK V. I. Ivanov for 10 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

[…]

10 December

I visited Nam Il and passed on that some days ago a representative of the political department of Switzerland had informed a PRC envoy that the Swiss government intends to reduce the number of people working in the Neutral Armistice Commission in Korea in order to save money.

I also mentioned that we await their opinion about Tsiden’s - [Translator's note: SIC, probably Unden, see below] proposal about the issue of reorganizing the Neutral Commission.

Nam Il expressed gratitude for the information and reported that evidently a compromise will have to be sought on this issue, in particular to come to agreement on some reduction of the personnel of the Neutral Commission. As regards their opinion about the proposal they will delay a response because they are consulting with the Chinese friends, who have not yet given a reply.

The MFA thinks that it will be necessary to agree to a reduction of personnel but not to the proposed reorganization since it is directed at a liquidation of the Neutral Commission. This cannot be permitted. However, this issue will be examined by the Political Council, taking the opinion of the Chinese friends into consideration.

Then Nam Il shared that a difficult atmosphere had developed recently for Soviet Koreans. Taking advantage of the fact that individual Soviet Koreans had been mixed up in dirty deeds and some of them had made mistakes with respect to the writers' organization many discussions of all kinds had arisen around Soviet Koreans.

Nam Il stated that he had just returned from Kim Il Sung and had reported to him about a Party meeting which is being held in the MFA about the results of the December CC plenum. The representative of the city Party committee present at the meeting is inciting Party members to speak against Ri Dong-geon and him, Nam Il, declaring, you are discussing ordinary people [SIC, plural], a Soviet Korean [SIC, singular], Jeong, and here there are bigger officials, Soviet Koreans.

Nam Il stated that Kim Il Sung shares his fears, informing him that four senior officials had come to him and had said the very same words about Soviet Koreans. Choe Chang-ik was named as one of them. Evidently someone is organizing all these discussions about Soviet Koreans.

In Nam Il's words, Kim Il Sung summoned the deputies of the KWP CC, Pak Jeong-ae, Choe Yong-geon, and Pak Geum-cheol to his [office], and also plans to convene the chiefs of KWP CC departments.

[He] proposed the MFA Party meeting be ended (the meeting lasted two days), but with respect to Jeong it be limited to criticism for the mistakes committed in the area of literature, and he not be removed from work. And to be limited to criticism with respect to Gi Seok-pok and Song Jin-hwa.

xx

The German Embassy in Pyongyang held a showing of the film “Ernst Thalmann” in the German Embassy club in connection with the German-Soviet Friendship Month being held in the GDR, at which the Embassy diplomatic staff, officials of the GUEhS [Main Directorate for Economic Relations] mission, and the Trade Mission were present from our side, and also representatives of other embassies. After the showing of the film German Ambassador Fischer invited me to his apartment for dinner.

In response to this on the evening of 10 December I invited Fischer, his wife, and an interpreter. After dinner we watched a film in our club. Counsellor Lazarev was present from our side at dinner.

[…]

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