Digital Archive digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org International History Declassified

1970 Welcoming Message to , , and upon their Arrival in

Citation:

“Welcoming Message to Eldridge Cleaver, Kathleen Cleaver, and Robert Scheer upon their Arrival in North Korea,” 1970, History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive, University of , Berkeley, The Bancroft Library, BANC MSS 91/213 c, The Eldridge Cleaver Papers, 1963-1988, Carton 5, Folder 2. Obtained for NKIDP by Charles Kraus. http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/114494

Summary:

The speaker thanks the for supporting North Korea's efforts to achieve independence without the influence of US and Japanese imperialist forces and expresses North Korea's hope for solidarity against imperialism. The speaker argues that Korean unification can only be achieved by the Korean people themselves.

Credits:

This document was made possible with support from the Leon Levy Foundation.

Original Language:

English

Contents:

Scan of Original Document • Beteemed Mr. Bldriclp Cleaver &d lfacta.e, Bsteeadd ~· Robert Scbeert Dear ~eats,

Comrades, ; . ~day it gives ua sreat pl..-re te get tegether in PfebQan~1 . . ' ' the capital of our country, .1d. til 7ft trienda f:re• the An ti• :laperialist Deleption ot the Aaerican P,•ple Visiting Korea led b7 Mr. llldrtdp Cleaver; Min1.atetL et' Into:rutien of the Bllaolc Panther Par- of the u.. s.J.. May I once again WaralJ we1c•• JeV viait to our coun tr.r 1n the , naae of the C.-1t~e · .to-r tile .,~4.tldt1cat1on of the Pather­ land. This tille 7011 haYe coae to viait ewr co\U'l'bf to expresS' your "lidarity with the stl'UCC1• ot tlie Xoreau people aciinat u.s. 1mpe:ria11• ~ ad fo~ the tndependent ~cation of the tatberl~nct. Yeur visit to our -.n"-7 S.. ot pteat upi.f'icance ia a'b-ene­ theni.D.g the soli~'b:)Mtweea Xoree people and tbe progrea~ve ; ' . ,.; • ; ·t :. >' • 'w • ' ~ '~~ people in .Aaerioa in the atNQ'le ap.iriat o.s. 1aper1al1., tJie. oou•n en~. The Ua&. iaperiallata he add by W&l'IIUIIliact Nisa are now runnin&' ..uok to find a wq eu'l of their acute oriaia at home and abreaad 1za a~pping. up their aanoeuvre• to'# aceresatoa and war o:riernal.lJ and 1Dtens1f'11nc their- plunder and repression of the people internal17• H.wenr; lfith no aal1pnt aanoeuvre• ca the u.s. bl:tJOr1al1ata acre their tate alre~ on the 4ee11Do• Bt'ez7where the u.s. iaperialiata are J'Qnn1nc the puntlet ef u4 ~ina di•••bered bJ' tho revolution&r7 people •t" the world wh• ..... ' haft risen up in the liberati• •~cS•· Coaracle K1a n bet the· area-l Lndel" of the 40 llillion Kerean peeple, aald ae tollowr "Wlere there ie explo-itati•n and oppression" there alway• breaks ou~ the revolutionar,y ~11• ot· the people."

J.} The tlaaa of the anti-t.per1aliat liberatien atruaJ,e an raging f'urieusl7 a1ao lnaid..e Alleri.ca. tbe clea of U.S. illperialisa. The strugele of the Black Panther PartJ' md the Black. petple in America ..-snat the cursed pelicJ er racial discriai• nation of the u.s. imperial.1ata and tor freedom and liberation 1s de-telopine wi tb • iJ1ereaainc po1ret" ner,rdq ana. de aline a telling blow at u.$. iaperiali•• TQ,ether with the li,eratioa a~le of ~ Black peeple, the atrugaJ.e of the pregressi•e people in Jaerica aga:lnat t~ u.s. iJipe~al~ata• c~a1 pelior ef qcreaalon an4 .-:r :la 11\U'a::Lnc on an unprececlantecl scale• Th" 1noreas~17 t1er.ce ...Oillti.oJ1&'17 atruale ot the Merican people has 4ri.ftll. tlle u.s. f.llperiaU.at ruline circle• into a tighter corner. · The atruc•l• of the B1aek people and progresa:J.:ve people in Jmerioa against u.s. iaperi.ali• ill aD iapertan~ 1ii1Jr: ~ the ohr.dn ot the antl-illperialiat atl"V&le ot the· peeplea 8C"S8 the WGl'ld ancl & CJ"e&t &-811de to the revolutiOnar;1 cause of the Kerean people• The Korean peop1e reader resolute support to and expre$8 f111lt aolida.ri v rith the jua11 atftcd• et th& Black people and progressiTe people 1.z1 Aaeri.Oa qatnat th' exploitation.

an4 -.ppression et u.s. iaperiaU• mel fer pnuine freed0J1 11 111Mrat1cm and the rtaht to e~atence, V. acathin111 dea011He u.s. laperialJ.a fer ita bai'll&ro'WI repression of the :Black Panther ParlJ' eel .mtnc17 4eunct tbl t.ediate an4 unconditienal Hl••• ot m&e:r Neritn, Bobbt Seale aud other leaders and ..b•r• ot the Black Pallther Party whc::c the u.s. 1aperia11ata ha" 111epll7 srrestecLaqd $aprisGned. Comrades and trienda, The Korean people wage• a pr•traoted atruaele against te~ign aggressors and for the treedoa an4 independence o'f their fatherland• ,- ·-·--" " .. \, . ,, •J':... ,

In the darkest period of Jap&Dese iaperialiat rule~

Coarade Kim I1 b.g, the respected and beloved Le~er of the 40 aillion Korean people, peerless patriot1 national hero and ever­ notorious iron-willed brilliant co•ander; orpni~ed and led the heroio anti-Japanese a:.ed a~le for over 15 years and tm.lli smashed brigandish Japueae 1mperiaH.• and accomplished the historic cause of the restoration of. the tatherlando After the liberation, the.Korean people under the wise leadership of Collll"ad.e IC1a n &me, the respected ~d beloved Leader, have oredi tably eabedied his great idea of and his 11ne of independence, self•Sil!Stenance and self-defence 1n ~1., fields and thereby tarne4 their ence backv~ country into aD independent socialist atate with an ad•ance4 lacialist syst• and the fim founda~ion of an independent national economy, a powerfUl all-people defence ayatea and a 1tr1Ub&t national oulture. 1be South Koreatl people, :l.ilspi:red b7 the prosperity and de•elopaent 0f the Republic, are fishtinc acainst the fascist rtale of terror of u.s. blperiali• and ita stooces, t)le PU: Jung Hi ~ppet clique, and tor deaocratic fre•u-,, national independence and the unification of the fatherland. ~day the u.s•. imperialists are f.ntenaifyin&' with each passing day their JllanoeuTrea to provoke a new war against the Deaocratic People's Republic of Korea, even drawina the Japanese ailitariats, the inveterate ene~ of the Korean peoplet into South Korea. This has created a ~ grave situation in our oountey in which war mq break eut qaiD at azq ao•ent.. Bl.tt., the U.s. imperialists should not forret the · leaaona of histcry. If the U.s. imperialists dare 1gni te another war of aggression against Korea in defiance ot our repeated WA.l"!l..4'"l...~,.;c::. ·- ---- the7 will be completeq annihilated and swept 8.'tft9 by our People1a A:rmy and people who are aa well aaecl that each of them can match for a hundred toea. ' Of late the U.S. uperialiata are noiailJ" talkinc abeut the tt;artial withdrawal" et their ..,_..saie tJ;"Oopa occupyinC Sout!t. Korea~ Bllt tbia ia no aore than a abeel" deceptive fare• ., . I aiaecl at cueutlactnc the aanoe\al'rin18 the;r ere now 1nteneif1inl te pn.,•ke a nev var~p-eaain in South !Corea. ~ a liDk iD the chain of the ao-calle4 "Nl!xon dec trine" desicnecl to easily ~hie"f'e their accresaive aiaa by aald.nc "Asian• filht apinat ~ . . . Asians",.. it i• a plain aaniteatation et their aalipant. aot ,1;:• . drac the accressive &'1.'1J7 of J•paDese ai.li tari• directl1 ·in~ ~th Xo:rea •• ,t : . ~. : l'· · · 'Jhe u.s.· iaperialiata aut 11110ond1tienall1 and coapletely ~tb.cli·~w tna South Korea without delq, t*w all their ~~t~· veapou with th•• ... ' ' <: :·,;· 'l'h• ~estion of Korean unification ~11 be •ttled by the · .. ! ; . ~ ... -1) .·•. Jtreaa'·peeple themaelves in4ependentlJ, on d•ocratio p!:-:!.nciple•, !~~~~~·the interference troa arq •taide forces, after the CielfP.~~:te withdrawal ot the u.s. iaperialiata egression arq ;. : ·.:. &u. tee ' ~~<•::-·· .~ .. :: ·:: 'x· ~~a.{~·' -ia!t~t. •f .~s oppo~tt to expresa ay prefeund ' . ' .:·· ;', ;·;:.··· ,.. : . .·:' ' .. ' ' ' . t~·;to. ~ .. ~~.f~~' f.~"·,,.~~· ~.~.A. ~4 the ' : ,, .)',• ... :._.· ... · ··.~.,; ·.,.· "'.· .,, ..,,,, .. .\ ... :• :.... , ~esa~~e ~o~~e: ~. ~~rJc•.·:~•~:'·~~,~~t~~T.. 4$~~~~ the f&J~~~~.,~.d·~~~~ :~tt• ~~··: v~s.,.~. ~'-~11~~"~:. ~~~:-:~~e. . · i. ; · Ke~~~• • • :~~~~·, •.. 1 ~. • ··~~:.r~~e~'-; ~ i . ', ·. ' :#~·:···. :. ~ ·~~-~t::~.- . . .. ·/: .4:· ·, ·tt~~~~"' . .. j.-. ' • ''•• t~f) :,~ .,~. o~· .·~1'r ,.~~t• .. #:!~ ·~•. ;~~e~j· ~'!o-..,io~ ?f. . . ~;~~'~.;·;,·:''·····~, .•··.· •. ·, ,,;.;,::., .. ::;,:,:.: · ·..'·' ·.e ~~~ ~~,p~e ,,.,, .r: ~~~ .~~~'~ f~~f ~~ ~~ . ~·~r -~~~~~~.-.~P :-~~- pJ14~t, ~- t. ~ ;·~J.· ~:F~.~~-.~~~ ,~!]?~~ .~ !rrr·~~~~ ~ :~ -~~ff..~ aaatnn the co'illlotf:ell..,.,.~;•.~t;;· ~~~~--. :.· ;': . .. .. ' . . ~ -: ' .. . ' ' ......

4 ,.

I llepe you will spend fruitful md ·pleasant·dqa durina ;,our sttq in our country and wish JGU bil successes in yeur visit to our country. MaJ I pntpese a toast te the ail1tant friendship U1d

aolidarity between the Ktrem pe'eple aDd the pregress::i.Te people in Aaerica in the ,COJ!lil0n strqgle againat the U.S$ ii.IPflriiJ.ist pelicy ef war an·i aggression, to the health of Itlr, Bldridg9 CleaTei" and his wifep to the . .health Mr. Robert Soheer, t of f to the health of ail the suests and t• the health of all comradea present here.