Notes from a Conversation between the 1st Secretary of the PRL Embassy in the DPRK with Comrade Botsin, the Deputy Director of the Economic Office at the Embassy of the USSR,

Embassy of the Pyongyang, 2.XII.1957

People’s Republic of Poland

in Pyongyang [trans. note:  tilted stamp]

No. 984/169/2421/57/tjn. [trans. note:  most likely short for tajne, secret; added by hand)

N o t e

From a conversation with Botsin [sp.?], the deputy director of the economic office at the Emb[assy] of the USSR on 30.XI.1957

Botsin gave me several statistical data about the DPRK.  (we will send the data by courier.)  Keeping in mind that we receive the data not from the Koreans and that these data are treated as secret in the DPRK, we ask that these materials not be distributed more widely.

Botsin said that the USSR’s help for the DPRK ends in 1959.  With the help of the USSR, about 30 large and mid-size factories have been built.  12 more factories remain to be built.  This year, 9 have been put into use.  All the factories built with USSR’s assistance surpass the planned productive power, which in Botsin’s opinion speaks very well for the Korean specialists and workers.

In December, said Botsin, the 4^th Soviet-Korean session on the question of scientific-technical cooperation will take place (the question of the realization of the pertinent Polish-Korean agreement has not budged).  The Koreans presented the following issues for the session:  the USSR’s assistance to build weaving machines and machines of the silk industry.  What specialists the USSR will accept for 1959 and so on.

Botsin claims that the Soviet comrades will counsel against the construction of a machine factory.  They will counsel the construction of factories of spare parts for these machines.

This Korean request, in my opinion, shows that there still exist tendencies in the DPRK to build industry that is comprehensively developed.  Botsin said that there are not the conditions yet in the DPRK to build this kind of quite complicated and precise machine.  Later on, he stated that a year ago the USSR relayed to the DPRK technological documentation for 45 factories for new kinds of production.  This matter was not touched by the Korean industry for the whole year.  Botsin thinks that this is happening because of a shortage of appropriate cadres in the DPRK.

Made 3 cop[ies]

2 cop[ies] M[inisterstwo] S[praw] Z[agranicznych—Ministry of Foreign Affairs] Dep[artment] V

1 cop[y] a/a

Brzezinski Henryk

[trans. note:  followed by signature]

1^st Secretary of the PRL Embassy in the DPRK

Attachment 1

[transl. note:  added by hand]