Cable from the Chinese Embassy in North Korea, 'Reactions to China's Nuclear Test'

Cable Received by the [Chinese] Foreign Ministry

Received from the North Korea Desk

Foreign Ministry Incoming (64) You (709)

Reactions to China's Nuclear Test

To the Foreign Ministry:

[Here are] relevant reactions to our nuclear test:

Vice Premier Jeong Il-Yong said when he met our delegation from the coal industry on the morning of the 17th: “The successful nuclear test makes a great contribution to the maintenance of world peace and to the world revolution.” Kim Tae-geun, the Minister of the Tank Department in the State Security Department of North Korea congratulated our people on the success of the nuclear test this morning. Ryu Cheol-su, trainer at the Ministry of Social Security Foreign Relations Department said: “Like what Chairman Mao had said, whatever the imperialists have, we must have, and now we really have it. Our people are powerful and we will be even more formidable when we have powerful weapons in our hands.” The Korean Central News Agency broadcasted this news this noon.

The [North] Vietnamese Ambassador and all the diplomatic corps came to our embassy to congratulate Ambassador Hao [Deqing] this morning. The Vietnamese Ambassador and Ambassador Hao embraced each other warmly and presented flowers to Ambassador Hao and his wife. He said: “This is of huge encouragement to the people of Asia and Africa and is a huge contribution to safeguarding a world peace. Vietnamese trainee dancers in North Korea rushed to the rooms of the Chinese construction trainees to express their heartiest congratulations after they heard the broadcast at midnight on the 16th. The Vietnamese expert of the international relations school held the hands of our Arabic teacher’s hand tightly and said: “The Asian and African people will be happy, and the imperialists and revisionists will cry.”

[Chinese] Embassy in North Korea

17 October 1964