First Published: The Call, Vol. 7, No. 15, April 17, 1978.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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The third anniversary of the liberation of Democratic Kampuchea, April 17, will be marked by the English-language publication of an important document on the Kampuchean revolution. “Long Live the 17th Anniversary of the Communist Party of Kampuchea,” is the speech delivered on September 29, 1977, by Comrade Pol Pot, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK).
The speech was the Communist Party of Kampuchea’s first official announcement of its existence. It contains the Party’s analysis of the Kampuchean people’s 2,000-year-long struggle for liberation and shows how the CPK led the struggle against U. S. imperialism by relying wholeheartedly on the masses and successfully waging people’s war. In the conclusion, Comrade Pol Pot describes the great advances which have been made in building socialism since liberation in 1975.
The following extract from Pol Pot’s speech describes the final and decisive events in the war of national liberation.
It was in this situation, when the U.S. imperialists and the Lon Nol traitor clique were in their death throes, that our Party’s Central Committee, in the course of its June 1974 session, resolved to mount the decisive offensive to liberate Phnom Penh and the entire country. We dared to mount this offensive because we had completely grasped the enemy’s situation and our own.
The plan of our offensive was: to attack Phnom Penh, cut off the Lower Mekong and attack the provincial capitals still under the temporary control of the enemy. The control of the Lower Mekong was the key factor in the total liberation of Phnom Penh, the attacks on other towns being complementary operations ....
We actively prepared our forces on the political, ideological and organizational levels. At the same time, our Revolutionary Army assimilated still further our Party’s line of combat at the front.
Our entire Revolutionary Army enthusiastically received the new mission of the Party and, showing the highest revolutionary heroism, were determined to carry it out at all costs ... We readied our forces correctly and painstakingly for the final assault on Phnom Penh and for the attacks on the provincial capitals. It was thus that the decision of the Party Central Committee to liberate Phnom Penh and Kampuchea during the 1975 dry season could be totally and perfectly carried out, following strictly the line of independence, initiative and self-reliance, and taking our destiny into our own hands.
On April 1, 1975, we liberated Neak Luong. The U.S. imperialists shipped the traitor Lon Nol to Hawaii and changed horses, in the hopes of maneuvering after their defeat to counter-attack the revolution at the moment it gained control of Phnom Penh.
On April 12, 1975, Gunther Dean, U.S. ambassador, and the U.S. military command at Phnom Penh fled in disgrace aboard a fleet of helicopters sent to rescue and evacuate them. On April 17, 1975, the Revolutionary Army of Kampuchea mounted an all-out assault and totally liberated Phnom Penh at 9:30 A.M.
We won the great victory as the result of the final offensive for the total liberation of Kampuchea and the Kampuchean people on April 17, 1975. We thus brought to a close the national democratic revolution.
The line of our Party defined in 1960 had set for us the following tasks:
1. To make the national revolution by eliminating the imperialists, especially the U.S. imperialists, from Kampuchea.
2. To make the democratic revolution by abolishing the reactionary system of the feudalists and comprador capitalists.
We had completely realized these two tasks on April 17, 1975; the Communist Party of Kampuchea had led the struggle of our people for 15 years; the struggle of the Kampuchean people had undergone difficult and tragic tests, and some extremely complex situations. But we had a correct political line, we had the Communist Party of Kampuchea to lead us on a correct path. Thus, whatever the difficulties, we fought until the great victory of April 17, 1975.
Full text of this speech, prepared by Group of Kampuchean Residents in America (G.K. Ram.), is available for one dollar per copy from Liberator Press, P.O. Box 7128, Chicago, Ill., 60680.