Telegram on the Twelfth Anniversary
(April 3, 1957)

Comrade István Dobi, Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Republic of Hungary:

Comrade János Kádár, Prime Minister of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Government of the People’s Republic of Hungary:

Comrade Imre Horváth, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of Hungary:

On the occasion of the twelfth anniversary of Hungary’s liberation, please allow us, on behalf of the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese people, to extend to you—and through you to the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Government of the People’s Republic of Hungary and to the Hungarian people—our most sincere and warmest congratulations.

Over the past twelve years, the Hungarian people have made strenuous efforts and achieved significant successes in building socialism and safeguarding peace. Not long ago, under the leadership of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party and the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Government, and with the sincere and selfless assistance of the great Soviet Union, they crushed the counter-revolutionary plot hatched by imperialist forces and Hungarian counter-revolutionaries to restore capitalism. This great victory of the Hungarian people not only defended Hungary’s socialist cause but also made a major contribution to the socialist camp and to the cause of world peace.

The Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party and the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Government have exerted tremendous efforts in uniting all democratic forces led by the working class, in establishing an effective proletarian dictatorship, and in restoring the national economy. We are confident that no force can deter the resolute advance of the brave Hungarian people, who are steeped in glorious revolutionary traditions, on the road to building socialism. The recent mid-March talks between China, the Soviet Union, and Hungary, together with the agreements reached, have further strengthened the solidarity and cooperation among our three countries. We sincerely wish the Hungarian people, under the leadership of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party and the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Government, new victories in consolidating the socialist system, in further restoring and developing the national economy, in strengthening the unity of the socialist camp headed by the Soviet Union, and in the struggle to maintain peace in Europe and throughout the world.

May the fraternal friendship between the peoples of China and Hungary continue to grow and be consolidated.

Mao Zedong, President of the People’s Republic of China

Liu Shaoqi, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China

Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China

April 3, 1957