p April 5, 1971

p Comrade delegates,

p The Congress has completed the discussion of the Report of the Party Central Committee.

p Delegates from the Communist Parties of all the Union republics, from our major cities, from the industrial and agricultural regions of the country, from the cities of Moscow, Leningrad, Gorky, Sverdlovsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, Barnaul, Ufa, Donetsk, Orenburg, and from other major Party organisations of the country took part in the discussion of the Report. The speakers included representatives of the working class, the collective-farm peasantry, the intelligentsia, young people, Communists serving in the Soviet Armed Forces, and all the detachments of our glorious 14,000,000-strong Communist Party. (Applause.)

p We have every ground for saying that the discussion of the Report of the Central Committee was principled and businesslike, lively and fruitful. The delegates made valuable proposals, so that their speeches fitted, so to say, into one whole with the Report of the Central Committee.

p Since all the speakers approved the Report, the political course and practical work of the Party Central Committee, and the planned domestic and foreign policies, we have the right to think that such is the opinion of our entire Leninist Party. (Stormy, prolonged applause.)

p To what has been said we need but add that the voice of the entire Soviet people merges with that of the Congress 445 delegates. Since the opening of the Congress, more than 250,000 letters and telegrams have been sent to the Congress and the Central Committee from Communists and people who are not members of the Party. (Applause.)

p The kind words of the Soviet people, their active support of the policy of the Party and the lively interest they take in Party activity—all this inspires us, gives us fresh strength and energy, strengthens still more our conviction that we are following the right road. (Prolonged applause.)

p Permit me, comrade delegates, to express, on behalf of the Congress, our profound gratitude to all who shared with us their thoughts and sentiments in connection with the work of our Congress, and to all who support the policy of our Party. (Prolonged applause.)

p Comrade delegates,

p There prevails at our Party Congress a spirit of cordial, Bolshevist, internationalist solidarity with all countries of socialism, with the Communists of the whole world, and with all fighters against imperialism. (Stormy applause.) That is very good, comrades. It is in complete accord with the whole policy of our Party, and with the behests of the great Lenin. (Stormy, prolonged applause.)

p The comrades who spoke here noted, as our great gain, the businesslike atmosphere, an atmosphere of comradely understanding and concern for the people, combined with a highly exacting, principled and demanding attitude, which has become firmly established in the Party and the country. I think we have the right to say that our Congress is taking place in precisely such an atmosphere and that it promotes in no small measures the success of our work. (Applause.) This has demonstrated once again how important it is to keep to the style of work of the Party organs, which has been evolved in recent years. (Applause.)

p Lastly, I should like again to point to the main conclusion which stems from the entire course of discussion of the Report of the Central Committee. This conclusion is that unity and cohesion, the spirit of really concerted work, which V. I. Lenin called for so persistently, and which makes our Party strong and invincible, today more than ever before, reigns in our Party. (Stormy, prolonged applause.) Loyal to the behest of Lenin, we shall continue carefully to preserve and constantly strengthen this unity of our Party ranks! (Prolonged applause.)

p Comrades, the entire atmosphere of the Congress has made it unnecessary for me to make a longer concluding speech.

(Stormy, prolonged applause that grows into an ovation. All rise. Cries of: "Glory to the Leninist Central Committee!”, "Hurrah!”, "Glory to the CPSU!”, "Glory, glory, glory!"}