Telegram to the Communist Party of the United States
(October 6, 1949)

Source: RMRB (Oct. 8, 1949), 1. Other Chinese Text: NCNA, Supplement
(n.d.), 5.

Dear Comrade Foster and Comrade Dennis,' and all comrades of the National
Committee of the Communist Party of the United States of America:

We are extremely grateful for your enthusiastic congratulations on the
founding of the People’s Republic of China. Please convey our gratitude to all
members of the Communist Party of the United States of America, and to all
the people who love peace and justice and bear goodwill toward the Chinese
people in the United States.

Indeed, as you yourselves said, the triumph of the Chinese people is a triumph over imperialism, first and foremost over United States imperialism.
This victory is a part of the results of the general struggle which the working
class and progressive people in the whole world are waging against the world
camp of imperialism. In this struggle the Communists of the United States and
all sincere advocates of democracy are fighting shoulder to shoulder with the
Chinese people.

In the assistance given to the Chinese people in their cause of justice and in
the heroic struggle to resist the reactionary policy of opposing China on the
part of the U.S. imperialists, the Communists of the United States of America
hold a place of exceptional honor. In spite of the fact that the reactionary government of the United States is savagely persecuting the Communist Party of
the United States and progressive forces in the United States, and is illegally
interrogating eleven leaders of the Communist Party of the United States,
namely, Comrade Dennis, Comrade Williamson, Comrade Winston, Com-rade Stachel, Comrade Davis, Comrade Winter, Comrade Thompson, Com-rade Gates, Comrade Potash, Comrade Green, and Comrade Hall,’ it has ultimately been demonstrated nonetheless that the Communist Party of the United
States and the forces of progress in the United States of America are correct,
and it is their Chinese friends who have triumphed, whereas the current imperialist government of the United States, which violates the principles of justice, has consequently gone down in shameful defeat. This fact cannot but
give courage to all the forces of democracy in the world who are but temporarily in a position of being oppressed; it cannot but educate all people who are
momentarily under the rule and deceptive sway of the reactionaries.




Long live the friendship of the people of China and the United States of

America!
(Signed and dated)

Notes

1. William Z. Foster was national chairman of the Communist Party of the United States of
America (CPUSA) and Eugene Dennis was the general secretary after the ouster of Earl Browder

in July 1945.
2. In October 1949, Eugene Dennis, John Williamson (elected Labor Secretary of the CPUSA

later at the 15th National Convention of the CPUSA in December 1950), Henry Winston (Organi-zation Secretary), Jack Stachel, Benjamin Davis, Carl Winter, Robert Thompson, John Gates,
Irving Potash, Gilbert Green and Gus Hall (National Secretary), all members of the National
Committee of the CPUSA, were convicted for violation of the Smith Act which was passed in
June 1940 and which made a crime of “teaching and advocating the overthrow of the government
of the United States by force and violence.” Convictions of other lesser communist leaders in the
United States followed.