Telegram to Chervenkov [2] Regarding the Composition of an Article Commemorating Dimitrov [1] (April 18, 1950) Comrade Chervenkov: I only saw your telegram of December 7 last year after my return from the Soviet Union. At your request, I have now written a short article [3], though its deadline has long since passed. Whether it still holds any value is for you to decide and act upon accordingly. Mao Zedong April 18, 1950 Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] Dimitrov was an activist in the international communist movement who served as General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. He died in July 1949. [2] Chervenkov was at that time General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party. [3] Refers to the article “Dimitrov and the Chinese People,” written by Mao Zedong at the request of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party for the book “Georgi Dimitrov, an Outstanding Figure in the International Workers’ Movement.” The full text of this article (translated from the Bulgarian original) reads as follows:

The Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party has decided to publish a special collection on the life and activities of Comrade Dimitrov. I would like to take this opportunity to briefly outline Comrade Dimitrov’s relationship with the Chinese people.

Throughout his entire tenure as a leader of the Comintern, Comrade Dimitrov showed great concern for the Chinese revolution. When he was elected Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Comintern at the Seventh Congress of the Comintern in 1935, he spoke on behalf of the proletariat worldwide to the Chinese people, declaring: “We firmly support your heroic national liberation struggle and are determined to help you put an end to the oppression of all imperialist bandits and their Chinese lackeys, thereby securing your complete independence.” In November 1937, September 1938, and May 1939, the Comintern repeatedly called upon the working class throughout the world to render assistance to the Chinese people in their War of Resistance Against Japan in every possible way. The working classes of various countries responded to the Comintern’s appeal, extending deep sympathy and invaluable aid to the Chinese people and the Chinese army as they resisted the Japanese aggressors.

Comrade Dimitrov paid close attention early on to the question of establishing a united front against Japan in China. In a special article written in July 1936 to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, he emphasized the exceptional significance of the Party’s policy of forming a national united front and of the necessity, in the process of building such a front, to combat both “left” sectarianism and “right” opportunism. These conclusions drawn by Comrade Dimitrov were of great assistance to the Chinese Communists in correctly implementing the anti-Japanese national united front during that period.

Comrade Dimitrov’s revolutionary writings have always been highly regarded in China. His book “Fascism Is War” has enjoyed wide circulation in our country. In June 1939, the Publishing House of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China published a volume entitled “Collected Works of Dimitrov,” which brought together many important articles by Comrade Dimitrov on the international anti-fascist united front.

During the Rectification Movement carried out by the Communist Party of China in 1942, the Central Committee instructed all party members to study the concluding remarks of Comrade Dimitrov’s report delivered at the Seventh Congress of the Comintern, in which he discussed cadre policy and the need for propaganda work to be clear and accessible to the masses. All party members paid extremely close attention to these two points in Comrade Dimitrov’s report.

Comrade Dimitrov has now left us forever, yet the Chinese revolution, which he so ardently supported, has already achieved victory. The People’s Republic of Bulgaria, from which he bid us farewell, has boldly embarked upon the socialist road and has established firm friendship with the People’s Republic of China.

All these victories serve as the greatest comfort to Comrade Dimitrov’s spirit in heaven. Eternal glory to Comrade Dimitrov!