First Published: The Call, Vol. 7, No. 39, October 9, 1978.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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In April of this year, four Call journalists became the first Americans to visit Democratic Kampuchea (formerly known as Cambodia) since the liberation of that country in 1975. Their eyewitness accounts have been serialized in 10 installments in The Call since the beginning of May.
Now that the series has come to a close, it is appropriate to say a few words by way of postscript.
First of all, it is important to take note of the developments in imperialism’s war on Kampuchea over the last few months. The propaganda war waged by the U.S. ruling circles against Kampuchea has grown even more virulent and more grotesque since our series began. It reached its most feverish pitch when Senator George McGovern openly appealed for an armed invasion of Kampuchea in August.
Meanwhile, the Soviet social-imperialists have stepped up their aid and encouragement for the massive Vietnamese aggression now taking place against Kampuchea. Close to $2 billion worth of Soviet weapons have been dispatched to back the Vietnamese government’s ambition to overthrow the Kampuchean government and swallow up Kampuchea inside the so-called “Indochina Federation.”
The Kampuchean people remain undeterred by imperialism’s attacks. Their Revolutionary Army has successfully repelled every aggressive thrust by Vietnam into Kampuchean territory. The workers and peasants continue to achieve new gains in the building of socialism. Factories are opening up, agricultural production is at an all-time high even in the face of heavy flooding, and the standard of living continues to improve step by step.
Of course, Kampuchea’s revolution still faces many problems. The last three years have seen difficult, and at times bloody, struggle inside the country to defend the revolution. But through all the twists and turns, through all the complicated contradictions, through any mistakes that may have been made, Kampuchea has continued to advance and the revolution has continued to go forward.
Working people and revolutionary fighters all over the globe can be very proud of what the Kampuchean masses, under the leadership of their Communist Party, have done in the last three years. They have liberated a highly strategic piece of land from imperialism’s grip, they have defended it against all enemies, and they have set about building a new revolutionary society free from oppression and exploitation. It is no wonder that the rulers of our country heap such abuse on this revolution!
When Call reporters asked Kampuchean Deputy Prime Minister Ieng Sary for his thoughts about imperialism’s slanders against Kampuchea, he said, “Do not worry. Eventually people all over the world will know the truth about Kampuchea. They will not believe the stories told by the CIA and the American propaganda organs. They will come to know that we are building a just and democratic society in Kampuchea.”
Slowly but surely, the truth about Kampuchea is coming out, and the voices speaking that truth include many more than just The Call. Well-known Swedish writer Jan Myrdal and other members of the Sweden-Kampuchea Friendship Association have just returned from several weeks in Kampuchea. Their report is very similar to ours.
Professor Francois Rigaux, vice-president of the Belgian League for Human Rights, has also recently returned along with other Belgian friends of Kampuchea, and has begun publishing highly informative articles in the European press that further corroborate our report.
Marxist-Leninist parties from France, Denmark, Norway and elsewhere have also recently had delegations visit Kampuchea. High-ranking government officials of Korea, China, Romania, Algeria, Japan and many other countries have been to Kampuchea on diplomatic missions.
Not one person who has actually been inside Kampuchea comes back with stories of “forced labor,” “starvation” or “genocide.” Regardless of their political perspective, all the visitors to Kampuchea have been impressed with the enthusiasm, determination and hard-working spirit of the Kampuchean people in reconstructing a country so devastated by war.
The truth is coming out in many other ways as well. One U.S. State Department official recently had to admit in Congressional hearings that the Kampuchean people actually do support their government. Another official told Congress that the number of people who have died in the aftermath of the Kampuchean revolution has been “gravely exaggerated” in Western press accounts.
Prominent American journalists have confided to Call reporters that their newspapers are under heavy pressure not to print anything favorable to Kampuchea, and that they themselves do not believe much of what their papers are printing.
A number of scholars and academic figures have begun publishing exposures of the distortions and fabrications contained in the “refugee accounts” that have been quoted so authoritatively in the press.
These are only a few indications that Ieng Sary was right when he said, “eventually people all over the world will know the truth about Kampuchea.”
We hope our articles have contributed to the spreading of that truth. Although our series of first-hand reports has come to an end, The Call will continue to place high priority on covering the news of the Kampuchean revolution.