Telegram on the Fortieth Anniversary
(March 19, 1959)

Comrade János Kádár, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party,
Comrade István Dobi, Chairman of the Presidential Council of the Hungarian People’s Republic,
Comrade Ferenc Münnich, Prime Minister of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Government of the Hungarian People’s Republic:

As the Hungarian people commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, we wish to convey, on behalf of the Communist Party of China, the Government of the People’s Republic of China, and the Chinese people, to you, and through you to the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party, the Workers’ and Peasants’ Revolutionary Government of the Hungarian People’s Republic, and the Hungarian people, our warm, fraternal greetings.

Forty years ago, under the leadership of the Hungarian Communist Party, the Hungarian people established the Soviet Republic in Hungary, following the great October Socialist Revolution. This was an event of great historic significance. Although it lasted only one hundred and thirty-three days before succumbing to the combined attacks of counter-revolutionary forces at home and abroad, this revolutionary struggle fully demonstrated the revolutionary spirit of the Hungarian people, provided enormous encouragement to the working people of various countries who were then striving for freedom and liberation, and enriched the experience of the international communist movement.

After a long, tortuous, and heroic struggle, the Hungarian people finally regained their liberation fourteen years ago with the aid of the Soviet Red Army. Carrying forward their glorious revolutionary traditions of the past, the Hungarian people have built their socialist motherland with diligent labour. Within a very short time, Hungary has become an advanced industrial-agricultural country. In recent years, the Hungarian people, under under the correct leadership of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, they have achieved brilliant successes in consolidating the proletarian dictatorship, developing the national economy, and raising the material and cultural living standards of the working people. The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party and the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Government, consistently loyal to Marxism-Leninism, have unswervingly fought for strengthening the unity of the socialist camp headed by the Soviet Union and against modern revisionism, and have made significant contributions to thwarting imperialist war schemes and safeguarding peace in Europe and the world. The peoples of China and Hungary long ago forged a profound fraternal friendship in their revolutionary struggles. The lofty ideal of building socialism and communism closely unites our two peoples. The Chinese people have always followed the struggles of the Hungarian people with great concern and have rejoiced in their great achievements. On this historic day commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, we firmly believe that the Hungarian people will continuously achieve new and still greater successes in building socialism and safeguarding peace, and we wholeheartedly wish the fraternal friendship between the peoples of China and Hungary ever greater consolidation and development.

Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
Liu Shaoqi, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the PRC
Zhou Enlai, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China
March 19, 1959, Beijing

(Printed according to People's Daily, March 22, 1959.)