Letter to the Central Committee of the CPSU Containing Two Proposals Regarding the Convening of a Conference of Representatives of Communist and Workers’ Parties (June 10, 1960)  Dear Comrades of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union:

We have received your two letters dated June 2 and June 7. We fully concur with the views expressed in your letter of June 7 concerning the postponement of both the Conference of Representatives of Communist and Workers’ Parties of the Socialist Camp and the Meeting of the Political Consultative Committee of the Warsaw Pact Member States[1].

We believe that, during the Third Congress of the Romanian Workers’ Party on June 20, representatives of the fraternal parties could engage in a preliminary exchange of views on the date and venue of these two meetings, with the final decisions being made subsequently on the basis of consultations among the central committees of the respective parties. At the same time, a preliminary discussion of the agenda for the conference of fraternal party representatives could also take place, without any formal decisions being adopted. Such an arrangement would be appropriate.

In view of the fact that the issues to be discussed at the Conference of Representatives of the fraternal parties of the Socialist Camp are closely related not only to the practical experience of the communist and workers’ parties of the twelve socialist countries[3] but also to that of communist parties worldwide, and are of great concern to them, we propose that, in addition to the delegates from the twelve fraternal parties of the Socialist Camp, the conference should ideally include representatives of all communist and workers’ parties in the capitalist world[4]; at the very least, it should comprise delegates from several major countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia—for example, from France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Indonesia, India, Japan, Iraq, Syria, and Australia, representing fourteen nations in total. We hold that it would be more appropriate and more beneficial if major questions concerning the international communist movement were jointly discussed by parties from socialist countries and those from capitalist countries, with a view to reaching common understandings.

Of course, it might be considered that the joint declaration of this conference[5], as was the case at the previous Moscow meeting[6], could still be signed and issued by the communist and workers’ parties of the Socialist Camp. As for how the communist parties of capitalist countries choose to respond to such a declaration, that would remain their own decision.

In order to ensure thorough preparation for the conference of fraternal party representatives, we suggest that, with the consent of the central committees of the respective fraternal parties, a drafting committee be established prior to the meeting to prepare a draft declaration, so that all parties may have sufficient time to deliberate and exchange views in advance.

We respectfully request that you give due consideration to these two proposals and inform us of your views.

With communist greetings!  Mao Zedong Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Date Month Year

Printed from a mimeographed copy preserved in the Central Archives. (Revised version available)

Notes

--- Notes

[1] Refers to the eight countries of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Romania, and Albania. On May 14, 1955, they signed the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance in Warsaw. The treaty stipulated that the contracting states would strive for “international peace and security” and resolve international disputes “by peaceful means,” and provided for the establishment of such bodies as a Joint Command of the Armed Forces and a Political Consultative Committee.


[2] The Conference of Representatives of Communist and Workers’ Parties was later held in Moscow in November 1960, while the Meeting of the Political Consultative Committee of the Warsaw Pact Member States took place in March 1961, also in Moscow.


[3] Refers to the twelve socialist countries of Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Vietnam, the German Democratic Republic, China, North Korea, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia.


[4] The Central Committee of the CPSU accepted this proposal from the CPC Central Committee. Subsequently, delegations from eighty-one countries’ communist and workers’ parties attended the conference.


[5] The joint declaration of this conference, entitled “Statement of the Conference of Representatives of Communist and Workers’ Parties,” was unanimously adopted by the delegations of eighty-one communist and workers’ parties and officially published on December 5, 1960.


[6] Refers to the Conference of Representatives of Communist and Workers’ Parties of Twelve Socialist Countries, held in Moscow from November 14 to 16, 1957.