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THE PRESIDENT
Mr. President,
On behalf of the people and the State of Israel, I am honored to extend to you congratulations on your inauguration as President of the United States of America.
Mr. President, as a participant in the creation of our Jewish nation, I wish to extend my gratitude for the support and friendship of the American people, along with the hope that our relationship and cooperation will continue to flourish and grow stronger.
On behalf of our people, I wish you and your administration much success, and take this opportunity to extend to you an invitation to visit the State of Israel and be our guest in Jerusalem.
B'shalom,
President of the State of Israel
President of the State of Israel
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A campaign spot of Vice President Richard M. Nixon recorded on 24 October 1956.
broadcast on television and radio up to election day.
“Four short years ago I spoke to you – the American people – in a manner very similar to how I speak to you now. Under unfair scrutiny and facing baseless accusations, I made it my mission to clear my name – and my duty to the American people to help them to discover the truth regarding those allegations. I come before you today to speak not of my personal life, in the hope that my actions can be laid bare before the American people; but rather to speak of something else: the lives of all Americans, the fate of this nation, and the great choice before you on 6 November.
“Four years of Republican leadership in the White House – the leadership of President Eisenhower – has left this country more prosperous and secure than ever before in our history. Economic growth reaches new heights. American products can be found in all the four corners of the world, built with American steel and American tools, machined in American factories, and crafted by American workers. More people will go to work tomorrow morning than ever before in our nation's history. Under the leadership of President Eisenhower, the American public has enjoyed more security, and the world at large more peace, than at any other point in recorded history.
“But this is not a time to simply rest on our laurels. The American position is strong, but it can be even stronger. I believe that there is no rest for the coal miner, the factory worker, the schoolhouse teacher, the doctor, the engineer, or the journalist, when there remains the threat of the greatest enemy to human freedom to ever exist still thriving in many countries around the world. As I speak these words to you, there is in Hungary a great upheaval against the Soviet regime in Budapest, with people from all across that country's society banding together in a national struggle against totalitarianism and tyranny. We can only guess as to the outcome of this struggle as it unfolds today and in the coming weeks; but the will of the Soviets in Moscow to crush all opposition to their terrible rule can never be questioned or doubted.
“We will need strong leadership to counter Mr. Khrushchev in Moscow, and Mr. Mao in Peking. In succeeding President Eisenhower, the next President must be familiar with the nature of the communists in Europe and Asia if the free peoples of those regions are ever to stand a chance. There can be no question but that there is no leader of the free world but America; there is no greater enemy to the conqueror of liberty than America. We have seen great progress in the development of friendly relations with new nations around the world, granted independence by their former European overseers; with these great diplomatic steps, we have assisted these countries in the path toward prosperity and peace. This administration has seen millions reject the tyranny and deceit of the communists and embrace a greater truth: the noble dream of a house, a couple, a handful of children, a car in the driveway, food on the table, and money in the bank. Liberty and free markets have done more for the people of this earth in the last eleven years than socialist government and controlled markets will ever do.
“The choice before every American on 6 November is not one of policy, tit-for-tat. The choice is freedom or slavery; it is the choice between a greater number of people in the world embracing freedom and good government, and rejecting tyranny and misery. We have the track record to provide these results. Let's stick to that record.
“And, for those among you who may be wondering – it's been four years, now, and Tricia, who turned ten in February, is more in love with Checkers than ever before. I think it's safe to say that keeping it was the best decision.”
“Four years of Republican leadership in the White House – the leadership of President Eisenhower – has left this country more prosperous and secure than ever before in our history. Economic growth reaches new heights. American products can be found in all the four corners of the world, built with American steel and American tools, machined in American factories, and crafted by American workers. More people will go to work tomorrow morning than ever before in our nation's history. Under the leadership of President Eisenhower, the American public has enjoyed more security, and the world at large more peace, than at any other point in recorded history.
“But this is not a time to simply rest on our laurels. The American position is strong, but it can be even stronger. I believe that there is no rest for the coal miner, the factory worker, the schoolhouse teacher, the doctor, the engineer, or the journalist, when there remains the threat of the greatest enemy to human freedom to ever exist still thriving in many countries around the world. As I speak these words to you, there is in Hungary a great upheaval against the Soviet regime in Budapest, with people from all across that country's society banding together in a national struggle against totalitarianism and tyranny. We can only guess as to the outcome of this struggle as it unfolds today and in the coming weeks; but the will of the Soviets in Moscow to crush all opposition to their terrible rule can never be questioned or doubted.
“We will need strong leadership to counter Mr. Khrushchev in Moscow, and Mr. Mao in Peking. In succeeding President Eisenhower, the next President must be familiar with the nature of the communists in Europe and Asia if the free peoples of those regions are ever to stand a chance. There can be no question but that there is no leader of the free world but America; there is no greater enemy to the conqueror of liberty than America. We have seen great progress in the development of friendly relations with new nations around the world, granted independence by their former European overseers; with these great diplomatic steps, we have assisted these countries in the path toward prosperity and peace. This administration has seen millions reject the tyranny and deceit of the communists and embrace a greater truth: the noble dream of a house, a couple, a handful of children, a car in the driveway, food on the table, and money in the bank. Liberty and free markets have done more for the people of this earth in the last eleven years than socialist government and controlled markets will ever do.
“The choice before every American on 6 November is not one of policy, tit-for-tat. The choice is freedom or slavery; it is the choice between a greater number of people in the world embracing freedom and good government, and rejecting tyranny and misery. We have the track record to provide these results. Let's stick to that record.
“And, for those among you who may be wondering – it's been four years, now, and Tricia, who turned ten in February, is more in love with Checkers than ever before. I think it's safe to say that keeping it was the best decision.”
Konungariket Sverige
On behalf of the people of Sweden, I congratulate you on your electoral victory. May your presidency bring further peace and prosperity to the world.
~ Tage Erlander
Prime Minister of Sweden
From the Office of the President of the Republic of China
On behalf of all of the people of China, I wish to offer my most sincere congratulations on your election as President of the United States. The Office of President in America is one that carries immeasurable weight in the Free World, and for that I do wish you the greatest luck in serving your term as President. American democracy is admired by all free peoples of the globe, and I feel truly honored to witness yet another successful election, only cementing America as the world's only democratic superpower.
I do so hope that as President, you will follow the policies outlined by your honorable predecessors and continue to recognize and affirm that the Republic of China is the sole government that has any legitimacy to rule over the Chinese people, unlike the Communist rebels who currently illegally occupy the mainland of China. In order to protect freedom around the globe, it is paramount that the Communist bandits occupying mainland China be denied any recognition, in the hope that one day the legitimate government of China can return and liberate the mainland Chinese people from the communist scourge.
I once again must congratulate you on your victory in the recent election, and I wish you the greatest of luck in your future endeavors as President of the United States of America.
With Admiration and Respect,
Chiang Kai-shek
President of the Republic of China
Chiang Kai-shek
President of the Republic of China
The State of North Korean Politics - Part II: The Yan'an Faction
The Yan’an faction are a group of Koreans who had fled to China following the Japanese occupation of their homeland, returning as passionate devotees of Maoism to guide the Democratic People's Republic of Korea along the righteous path. Their name is derived from the town that served as the bastion of communism during the Chinese Civil War, as well as their refuge from the Japanese invasion. After the end of the Second World War, as Kim Il-sung and his guerrillas began to consolidate power in the new state with the backing of the Soviet occupation authorities, the Yan’an group was also actively engaging itself in the North Korea political arena.
First and foremost among them was Kim Tu-bong, at least twenty years Kim Il-sung’s senior and an established literary scholar prior to his self-imposed exile to China in 1919. It was there that he was first exposed to communism after having initially supported the Democratic party, leading to his joining the Korean Independence League based in Yan’an. Other influential figures within the party included Choe Chang-ik, an active and well-known left-wing intellectual even before his exile to China, and Kim Won-bong, who had previously founded the Korean National Revolutionary Party in Shanghai in 1935 and enjoyed significant support from the communists there.
Kim Tu-bong, celebrated scholar and the first leader of the Yan'an faction in North Korea.
Despite the political pedigrees of their leaders, the greatest asset the Yan’an faction possessed was its trained military personnel. Most of Kim Il-sung’s immediate followers belonged to the Partisan faction and possessed a semblance of a military background, but the Yan’an faction had the greater number of trained and disciplined troops. The Korean Volunteers’ Corps (later Army), established under the guidance of the Chinese Nationalist government and further developed with support from the Communists, had at least four hundred veteran officers by the time of the Japanese surrender. This number was multiplied through the enlistment of large numbers of young Koreans in northern China and Manchuria.
Key leaders of this force, many of whom had fought under the Chinese Communists in the Long March and the Eighth Route Army, would later join the Korean People’s Army as high-ranking generals: Mu Chong and Kim Ung, in particular, received key commands and were counted among the most loyal members of the Yan’an faction. Unfortunately, upon entering the country many of the members of the KVA would be disarmed by Kim Il-sung’s guerrillas with the explicit backing of the Soviet occupational forces - the USSR intended Kim’s fighters to be the only armed group in North Korea, much to the chagrin of Yan’an officers.
North Koreans celebrate the liberation of Korea from 35 years of Japanese occupation by welcoming Soviet Occupation forces on 15 August 1945.
Nevertheless, the Yan’an faction would initially wield a great deal of political capital within the newly-formed power structure. Having been beaten to the disadvantaged and poorest elements of the populations by other factions, the Yan’an focused their attention on winning over the office workers, petty bourgeoisie and intelligentsia of Korea. When the decision was made in 1946 to merge with their rival group under Kim Il-sung to form the North Korean Workers’ Party, Yan’an faction leader Kim Tu-bong became the Chairman; Kim Il-sung, surprisingly, would receive the subordinate position of Vice-Chairman. On the surface, the Yan'an faction's political efforts would seem to have been richly rewarded.
It would be naive, however, to assume that the election of Kim Tu-bong to the chairmanship meaningfully altered the established power relationship within the fledgling nation in any way. After all, North Korea was under Russian occupation until the end of 1948, and regardless of the actual strength of the Yan’an group, Kim Il-sung remained the vital link between the North Korean Communists and the Soviet military command. As a result, no one could effectively challenge his power, and in spite of early expectations and aspirations. While one could be excused for having expected the Yan’an group to receive substantial foreign support in the same way, the fact remains that the Chinese Communists took very little, if any, part in North Korean politics.
Until the Korean War, that is. The attempted invasion of the south by Kim Il-sung, the devastating counter-attack by American and United Nations forces and the subsequent Chinese intervention led the PRC to turn its attention towards the peninsula. Unfortunately, this did not translate into enough support for the Yan’an group to stave off the attacks which were soon levied against them. Following the conflict’s disappointing conclusion Kim Il-sung quickly sought to shift the blame onto his political rivals, many of whom belonged to the Yan'an faction. Others were targeted in less obvious ways: Kim Tu-bong, perceived as a threat to the Premier’s power, was implicated in a scandal with a much younger woman, damaging his credibility within the party. Thus discredited, Kim Tu-bong was ousted from his position as Chairman and relegated to less vital functions - this loss of power spelled the end for his leadership of the Yan’an faction as well.
However, just like the Soviet-Koreans following Ho Ka-i’s (admittedly more violent) demise, the Yan’an faction was determined to not go quietly into that good night. Choe Chang-ik, the Minister of the Interior within the North Korean government and the second-most influential man within the faction, would quickly prove himself a capable leader. Defending himself against countless allegations of what Kim referred to as "individual heroism", Choe time and time again managed to avoid the fate that had befallen other opponents of Kim Il-sung, all the while working to undermine him. It was his idea to form an alliance with Pak Chang-ok of the Soviet faction with the aim of removing Kim from power, arranging several covert meetings with him and other Soviet-Koreans to secure their cooperation. This would eventually lead, of course, to the successful August Coup of 1956.
Choe Chang-ik, the second leader of the Yan'an faction in North Korea.
In the wake of Kim’s overthrow the Yan’an faction was ascendant, with many members appointed to major Cabinet and party positions. Kim Tu-bong was rescued from disgrace and appointed Vice-Premier and Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee, while Kim Ung - former front commander of the Korean People’s Army and vice-minister of defense - was made Minister of National Defense. Kim Won-bong, a key political and military figure within the faction, was given the position of Minister of State Control, while Kim Chang-man and Pak Il-u were made Minister of Justice and Minister of the Interior respectively. Choe’s own wife, an independence activist and feminist writer, was made Minister of Culture and Propaganda. For Choe’s part, he would be elevated to position of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly - once in danger of being purged, in 1956 Choe Chang-ik had become the North Korean head of state.
Now that the security of the Yan’an faction has been secured and Kim’s partisans severely weakened, it remains to be seen how long their alliance with the Soviet faction will last. After all, both groups take a different communist neighbor to be their patron, and their ideals rarely align. As the Soviets seek to implement a new economic policy in North Korea, the actions of the Yan'an faction in the coming months could influence the future of the state for years to come.
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