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September 21, 1956

Telegram from A. Mikoyan to the CPSU Central Committee

Top Secret

Priority

 

[to the] CPSU CC

 

After arrival in Pyongyang on 19 September Cde. Peng Dehuai and I talked with Cde. Kim Il Sung for more than four hours in the presence of Cde. Nam Il, as interpreter into Russian, and Shi Zhe into Chinese.

 

We decided to have the first conversation in the smallest group in order to talk more openly. Peng Dehuai and I set ourselves the task of convincing Cde. Kim Il Sung in this conversation that both our Parties have the firm goal of not defending [handwritten: weakening] but strengthening the current leadership of the Korean Worker's Party and of Cde. Kim Il Sung personally, whom we all know and highly esteem. But we cannot in any way approve [handwritten: tolerate] the methods in the leadership of the Party being employed in Korea. With our advice we want to help the Korean leadership achieve unity of leadership and the trust of the masses in the Party leadership not with repressive measures against CC members who do not agree with some policy issues, but with the methods of intra-Party democracy.

 

We recommend correcting the mistakes made by the August plenum with regard to the expulsion of a large group of CC members from the CC, and some from the Party. The correction of a mistake not only does not weaken the leadership, but strengthens the trust of it by the Party. [handwritten: To do this] we advised convening a CC plenum for this in order to correct the mistakes of the previous plenum. [handwritten below the above sentence: insert!]

 

[in the upper right hand

corner of the next page:

insertion N1 to page 1]

 

We decided to first seek agreement about the convening of a plenum and about revocation of the CC decision about the expulsion from the Party done by the August CC plenum, at the same time criticizing the incorrect methods of leadership and intending to increase criticism of the incorrect methods of leadership and the regime which was created in the Party in subsequent conversations and statements.

 

[in the middle

of the page:

insertion N2 to page 3]

 

In our statement we gave criticism of the incorrect measures of the KWP CC in the spirit of the discussion of this issue at the CPSU CC Presidium meeting.

 

After the long conversation Cde. Kim Il Sung and CC Presidium member Cde. Nam Il declared that they agreed in principle with our advice but still needed to think whether a CC decision with respect to all CC members ought to be revoked. This issue requires study.

 

Kim Il Sung declared that he tentatively agrees with revoking the decision about the expulsion of the CC members from the CC with respect to everyone except those who fled to China. With regard to the latter he agreed to revoke the decision about expelling them from the Party but not to leave them in the CC in view of the fact that they fled. We agreed with this. He also declared that he does not want to reinstate the two CC members who were deputy chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers to these government posts. As regards Choe Chang-ik, who was expelled from the CC presidium he, Cde. Kim Il Sung, favors reinstating him to the CC, but not to the CC presidium. We said that this issue still needs to be studied and to think whether it is better to reinstate him to the posts of deputy chairman and to the presidium.

 

At the end Cde. Kim Il Sung said that it is necessary to think more about this.

 

In reply to our question, when will the plenum be convened, he replied that he will convene the presidium and discuss this issue. They will inform us about this. I said that if we will not be interfering, then [we] would like to be present at the plenum when this issue is to be discussed. He agreed.

 

The next day they informed us that the presidium meeting would be held at 6 P. M. It was obvious from everything that they had decided to hold a private meeting without us before the meeting with our participation.

 

On 20 September a meeting of the CC presidium with the participation of the entire Soviet delegation and the Chinese delegation lasted six hours. Presidium member Kim Du-bong [handwritten: and Rim Hae, who remained at the congress in China,], who was located far from Pyongyang, could not manage to arrive at the CC presidium meeting. The meeting began with a statement by Cde. Kim Il Sung, who talked briefly about our conversation on the previous day and made a proposal in the spirit of what had been agreed between us the day before. The statement was not bad. Almost all presidium members and candidate members spoke [inserted by hand: insertion 2]. A detailed record was made by Cde. Ponomarev and will be sent to you separately. Everyone spoke in support of Cde. Kim Il Sung's proposal about convening a new plenum and reconsidering the decisions of the August plenum. Everyone agreed with the statement of Cde. Kim Il Sung that the plenum had exhibited rashness and haste in adopting the decision about the expulsions.

 

One presidium member, Soviet Korean Pak Ui-won, condemned the decisions of the previous plenum more on principle and [more] sharply, considering that they had not only been adopted rashly, but that the Party had used methods of pressure and intimidation, and that Party and CC members are unable to argue with CC department chiefs about specific issues, that the disagreement of some Party or CC members with the opinions of CC department chiefs is regarded as disagreement with the policy of the CC, although this does not concern CC decisions.

 

At the end, I and Cde. Peng Dehuai spoke at the request of Cde. Kim Il Sung. As a result a decision was made by the CC presidium to convene a CC plenum in two days, on the evening of 22 September, and if CC members are unable to arrive, on the morning of 23 September. During this time a commission of the CC presidium will prepare a draft decision of the CC plenum [inserted by hand: a plenum resolution should be published in the press] and submit it for the consideration of the plenum. Cde. Nam Il raised the question, should we not take part in the work to draw up the decision. We agreed [inserted by hand: to this so that] we meet and consult after the commission prepares the draft.

 

[handwritten: signed] A. Mikoyan

 

21 September

 

Two copies were printed. [handwritten: Authenticated: V. Chistov]

typed by Sitnikova

 

[handwritten: the first copy

was received (on five sheets)

 

21 September at 2220 [[Alekseyev]]

 

MFA 22 September spets N 595-600.]

 

A meeting with Kim Il Sung reveals the main goals of the Sino-Soviet delegation: to convince the Korean Workers' Party to move away from policies of repression and to repeal the order to expel the group of accused party officials. Kim agrees on repealing the expulsion order, but not for those who fled to China. Mikoyan asks that Sino-Soviet delegation be allowed to sit in on the presidium meeting the next day.


Document Information

Source

GARF, Fond 5446, Opis 98c, Delo 718, Listy 12-16. Translated by Gary Goldberg.

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Original Uploaded Date

2014-06-10

Type

Memorandum

Language

Record ID

120194