Cable from the Chinese Embassy in North Korea, 'Reaction to China's Second Successful Nuclear Test'

Received by Foreign Ministry

Level: Urgent

Received from the North Korea Desk

Foreign Ministry Incoming (65) You (812)

Reaction to China's Second Successful Nuclear Test

To the Foreign Ministry:

North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun published an editorial today to congratulate us on our second successful nuclear explosion. The editorial said that China’s successful nuclear test made an important contribution to crushing the American imperialists’ policy of nuclear blackmail and the safeguarding and consolidating of world peace, and dealt a heavy blow to American imperialism.

A teaching staff from the history faculty of Kim Il Sung University (who is now undergoing training at the party school) told Chinese students on the night of the 15th that: I heard a comrade-in-charge from the Central Committee say at the Central Party School that China’s nuclear test this time round had garnered widespread attention in the West. It was reported that the area affected by the explosion was ten times the land area of North Korea. This not only showed that China had very powerful atomic bombs, but also that it had unique and effective means of containing the damage caused by its nuclear tests. The uranium used by China is similar to the heat generated by solar radiation. The United States and Soviet Union have yet to achieve this. China’s nuclear test this time round concerns us greatly, and will be of immense help to us in increasing our defense capabilities.

The comrade-in-charge from the Central Committee also said that China’s defense industry was already highly developed and that the latest missiles that China manufactured could destroy everything upon hitting their targets. China’s anti-aircraft artillery could hit their target every single time and China’s defense missiles could intercept the enemy’s missiles and explode them midair.

The success of China’s high-altitude nuclear explosion this time round showed that it had resolved the weapons delivery issue and this was an extraordinary achievement.

The Albanian, Vietnam, and North Korean students-in-charge at the Kim Chaek University of Technology congratulated our students on the successful nuclear explosion on the night of the 15th.

Chinese Embassy In North Korea

16 May 1965