ADDRESS OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION,
OF THE PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME SOVIET OF THE USSR
AND OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SOVIET UNION

TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY
AND PEOPLES OF THE SOVIET UNION!
TO THE PEOPLES AND GOVERNMENTS
OF ALL COUNTRIES!
TO THE ENTIRE PROGRESSIVE MANKIND!

A great event has taken place. For the first time in history a man flew into space.

On April 12, 1961, at 9 hours 7 minutes, Moscow Time, manned spacecraft Vostok carrying a man onboard lifted into space, and, having made an orbit around the globe, safely returned to the holy soil of our Motherland - the Soviet Country.

The first man to penetrate into space is a soviet man, a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

This is an unprecedented victory of man over forces of nature, a great achievement of science and technology, a triumph of human reason. This marks the beginning of manned missions into space.

This heroic deed, which will go down in history, embodies the genius of the soviet people and the mighty power of socialism.

With great joy and justifiable pride, the Central Committee of the Communist Party, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Soviet Government note that this new era in the progressive development of mankind was ushered in by our country - the country, where socialism has won.

In the past, the backward tsarist Russia could not even dream of such feats in the fight for progress, of a competition with countries with higher levels of technological and economic development.

By the will of the working class, by the will of the people inspired by the communist party headed by Lenin, our country has become a mighty socialist power, has reached unprecedented heights in the development of science and technology.

When in October 1917 the working class seized power, many people, even honest ones, were doubtful whether the workers would be capable of running the country, of at least preserving the existing level of economical, scientific and technological development.

And now, in front of the whole world, the working class, collectivized peasantry, soviet intelligentsia, the entire soviet people demonstrate an unheard-of victory of science and technology. Our country got ahead of all the other nations in the world, and was the first to blaze the trail to space.

The Soviet Union was the first to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile, the first to launch an Earth artificial satellite, the first to send a spacecraft to the Moon, created the first artificial satellite of the Sun, sent a probe towards Venus. One after another, Soviet spacecraft carrying living beings on-board made flights to space and returned to Earth.

Our victories in space have been crowned with the triumphal flight of a Soviet man in a spacecraft around Earth.

Honors and glory to the working class, Soviet peasantry, Soviet intelligentsia, to the entire Soviet people!

Honors and glory to Soviet scientists, engineers and technicians - developers of the spacecraft!

Honors and glory to the cosmonaut, comrade Gagarin, Yuri Alexeevich - the pioneer of space!

We, the Soviet people constructing communism, are privileged to be the first to penetrate into space. We regard our victories in space as achievements of not only our people, but of the entire mankind as well. We gladly offer to use them for the benefit of all nations in the name progress, happiness and prosperity of all the people on Earth. We are going to use our achievements and discoveries not for the purposes of war, but for the purposes of peace and safety of all nations.

Development of science and technology opens up infinite possibilities of learning to command the forces of nature and using them for the good of man, but in order to achieve this, we need, above all, to secure peace.

On this great day, we once again make an appeal for peace to peoples and governments of all nations.

Let all the people, regardless of their race and nationality, skin color, faith and social standing, make every effort to secure lasting peace throughout the world. Let us put an end to the arms race! Let us try to achieve global and total disarmament under strict international control! This will be a decisive contribution to the sacred cause of defending peace.

This glorious victory of our Motherland inspires all Soviet people to new feats in constructing communism!

Onwards, to new victories in the name of peace, progress and happiness of humanity!

CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPSU

PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME SOVIET OF THE USSR СССР

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE USSR

 

To all scientists, engineers, technicians, workers,
all work teams and organizations
which contributed to the success
of the world's first manned space
mission onboard Vostok spacecraft,

TO THE FIRST SOVIET COSMONAUT
comrade GAGARIN, Yuri Alexeevich

Dear comrades,

Friends and compatriots,

The peoples of our country are now experiencing a joyous and exiting event. On April 12, 1961, our Motherland - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - for the first time in the history of humanity successfully achieved the first flight of man into space onboard Vostok spacecraft.

The flight of a Soviet man into space is a great achievement of our peoples' creative genius, the result of free and inspired labor of Soviet people constructing a communist society. What used to be a dream of outstanding representatives of Russian and world scientific and engineering communities, what was the focus of his entire life to the brilliant son of our people, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, has become today a reality of our heroic days. This is a great and outstanding contribution of the Soviet people to the treasure-house of world science and culture. This priceless service of the Soviet Union will be gratefully accepted by the mankind. This heroic mission of Soviet man into space has ushered in a new era in Earth history. Mankind's age-long dream has come true.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and the Council of Ministers of USSR on behalf of our glorious Communist Party, Soviet Government, all peoples of the Soviet Union heartily congratulate on the great victory of Reason and Labor all the scientists, engineers, technicians, workers, all work teams and organizations that contributed to the success of the first manned mission into space.

We extend full-hearted salute and congratulations to you, our dear comrade Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin on the greatest feat - the first flight into space.

Our free, talented and industrious people awakened by the communist party headed by the great leader and teacher of the workers of the world Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in October of 1917 to embark on consciously changing the course of history, now demonstrate to the whole world the great advantages of the new, socialist system in all areas of social life.

Man's flight into space is a result of successful implementation of an ambitious program of expanded construction of communist society, of unceasing care of the Communist Party and its Leninist Central Committee and the Soviet Government about sustained development of science, technology, culture, about the good of the Soviet people.

Less than four years separate the launch of the world's first Soviet artificial satellite of Earth from the successful manned mission into space.

Soviet scientists, engineers, technicians, and workers, through their unremitting and dedicated work, have blazed the trail for the human genius into the depths of the Universe. And they did this in the name of peace on Earth, in the name of happiness of all the peoples.

The first flight of man into space will become a source of new inspiration and daring for all the Soviet people in the name of further progress and peace in the whole world.

Glory to the Soviet scientists, designers, engineers, technicians and workers - conquerors of space!

Слава нашему народу - народу-творцу, народу-победителю, пролагающему под руководством Коммунистической партии путь к светлому будущему всего человечества - коммунизму!

Glory to our people - creative and victorious people blazing the trail to the bright future of all mankind - communism - under the guidance of the Communist Party!

Long live the glorious Communist Party of the Soviet Union - the great architect of all the victories of the Soviet people!

Long live Communism!

CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE CPSU

PRESIDIUM OF THE SUPREME SOVIET OF THE USSR СССР

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE USSR