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RECEPTION OF A DELEGATION OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF GHANA BY N. S. KHRUSHCHEV*
6 May 1960
* the record of the conversation was not reviewed by Cde. N. S. Khrushchev
After mutual greetings N. S. Khrushchev congratulated Botsio, the head of the delegation, and members of the delegation on the occasion of Ghana winning independence and freedom. He also asked that his greetings be passed to Prime Minister Nkrumah and the people of Ghana.
Botsio expressed gratitude for the congratulations and good wishes. In turn, he passed N. S. Khrushchev greetings and best wishes from members of the delegation, Prime Minister of Ghana Nkrumah, and all the people of Ghana.
He continued, members of the delegation have long dreamed of visiting the Soviet Union and are happy that, thanks to the invitation of the Soviet government and the USSR Supreme Soviet, they have been able to accomplish this desire. Botsio expressed gratitude to N. S. Khrushchev and the Soviet government for this invitation.
Botsio said further that Ghana had recently received its independence and its people are determined to strengthen this independence and also to fight for the liberation of the entire African continent. Now the task is to fight for the achievement of economic independence and an increase in the standard of living of the population. The people of Ghana value the friendship of the Soviet people since both peoples are fighting for one and the same goals: for peace in the entire world and an increase of public welfare. That is why the delegation is especially glad for the meeting with N. S. Khrushchev and again expresses its gratitude to him.
Right after this Botsio passed N. S. Khrushchev personal letters from Prime Minister of Ghana Nkrumah (attached) and a souvenir from him – a clump of earth with a national Ghanaian drawing as a symbol and an example of African culture.
N. S. Khrushchev thanked Botsio and asked that [his] gratitude be conveyed to Prime Minister of Ghana Nkrumah for the attention and commemorative gift.
Then N. S. Khrushchev asked that congratulations be passed to Prime Minister of Ghana Nkrumah on the occasion of his election as the first President of the Republic of Ghana. He also thanked Botsio for the good words which he had expressed to him and the Soviet people. Our country, N. S. Khrushchev noted, was liberated from the oppression of landowners and capitalists and that is why we well understand the aspirations of the people of Ghana. The Soviet Union supports the independent countries of Africa and all those countries which are fighting for their freedom and independence. N. S. Khrushchev jokingly expressed the hope that members of the delegation were not afraid when he cursed capitalists, without which our country does very well. But capitalists and colonialists are one and the same, and therefore we fight against both, said N. S. Khrushchev. (Exclamations of approval from members of the delegation. One of the delegates noted that the capitalists and colonialists are brothers). N. S. Khrushchev said that the African peoples have a reliable friend in the form of the Soviet Union, which will always support them in the fight against the capitalists and colonialists. The Soviet Union pursues no expansionist aims in giving such aid. There is everything in the USSR, and if something is lacking, then the Soviet Union buys [it] in other countries. In Ghana, for example, we could buy coffee, cacao, and some kinds of fruit in exchange for the goods which Ghana would like to buy in the Soviet Union, and the Soviet country has something to sell.
It is very pleasing to realize, continued N. S. Khrushchev, that we have lived to a time of which V. I. Lenin dreamed, a time when peoples of Asia and Africa are coming to life and colonial slavery is declining. However, the process of the liquidation of colonialism will still be lengthy, and the colonizers will not surrender right away, they will strive to consolidate [their positions] in those countries which they previously oppressed, and to continue the colonial exploitation of the countries which have received independence. They will also try and pursue a policy of granting fictitious independence, advancing people who have sold out to the colonizers to senior positions in countries which have received such independence.
Botsio and other delegation members expressed their agreement with this statement.
Botsio said further that in the message he handed over Nkrumah invited the Head of the Soviet government to visit Ghana at a time convenient for him. Botsio noted in this connection that he would like to know N. S. Khrushchev’s attitude toward this invitation in order to inform Prime Minister Nkrumah of it.
N. S. Khrushchev thanked Botsio and asked that his gratitude be passed to Nkrumah and the government of Ghana for the invitation to visit Ghana. He noted that he will inform the Soviet government of this, which will obviously take this invitation favorably. The time of the visit can be coordinated later.
In the name of the delegation and himself personally Botsio expressed the most cordial gratitude to N. S. Khrushchev for the honor which he had given the delegation in receiving it. He said that this meeting had given all members of the delegation enormous pleasure, and they would retain the memory of it forever. They will tell Prime Minister Nkrumah, their colleagues, and all the people in detail of their stay in the USSR and this meeting, and will await the arrival of N. S. Khrushchev in Ghana with impatience.
In the name of all the members of the delegation Botsio congratulated N. S. Khrushchev on the speech which he made at the session of the USSR Supreme Soviet and which found a warm response in their hearts.
N. S. Khrushchev said that the Soviet government was forced to report to the deputies of the Supreme Soviet about the provocations which the Americans have been trying to make at the borders of the Soviet Union. He noted that an American aircraft was shot down by a missile. The US State Department, N. S. Khrushchev continued, made a statement about this, but this statement is an out-and-out lie, and tomorrow in my concluding statement I will tell the whole world about this. The United States should know with whom they are dealing. The USSR is not a weak defenseless country which is not able to give a rebuff. The Soviet Union can rap the knuckles of provocateurs and aggressors.
N. S. Khrushchev wished the members of the delegation a pleasant and interesting travel throughout the Soviet country. The Soviet people are ready to show the members of the delegation everything that they want to see, and to also share all their achievements with Ghana.
The members of the delegation warmly thanked N. S. Khrushchev for the conversation.
Present at the conversation were Kojo Botsio, leader of Parliament and Minister of the Economy (leader of the delegation); Krobo Edusei, Member of Parliament and Minister of Transport and Communications; F. I. Asare, Minister of Agriculture and Food; [W. Beidu-Ansah], Dowuona-Hammond, Abeifaa Karbo, Kwaku Boateng, and also J. B. Elliot, Ambassador of Ghana in the Soviet Union, who was in the delegation.
Present at the conversation from the Soviet side were: N. A. Dygay, Deputy of the USSR Supreme Soviet and USSR Minister; Ya. A. Malik, a Deputy USSR Minister of Foreign Affairs; I. K. Kolosovsky, Acting Chief of the USSR MFA Department of African Countries; and V. G. Vysotin, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet.
I. Kolosovsky and V. Sukhodrev recorded the conversation.