The Moscow Conference

Proclaiming the end of communism

During his incarceration at the correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, True Father gave the directive to declare the end of communism. On that basis, beginning on August 13, 1985, the Professors World Peace Academy (PWPA) hosted its second five-day international conference in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme, "The Fall of the Soviet Empire."

Before the conference, True Father met with Dr. Morton Kaplan, president of PWPA International and professor of political science at the University of Chicago, and directed him to hold the meeting proclaiming the collapse of the Soviet Union.

As a political scientist, Dr. Kaplan responded to Father by suggesting a modified theme, "the Soviet Union may be collapsing." Father, however, said that the conference must proclaim the "end of communism."

On November 9, 1989, in accord with Father's prediction, more than 50 guard posts along the wall surrounding West Berlin in East Germany were opened. After standing for 28 years, the Berlin Wall, a symbol of the Cold War, began to come down.

Furthermore, the breakup of the immense Soviet Union, which had been in existence since 1922, was announced in December 1991. The end of the communist bloc became a reality.

1. Whenever I predicted something would happen, it did. The world advances according to principles. If I say something will happen, it happens without fail. I predicted that communism would not survive its 73rd year.

I proclaimed this 40 years ago, and after that 73-year period passed, communism declined. Was this because of my prediction? The principles governing the course of heaven and earth made it happen.

This decline occurred exactly at the proper time. What I say is based on the principles by which the world moves. (245-031, 1993/02/28)

2. I proclaimed the end of the Soviet empire. While I was incarcerated in Danbury, this proclamation was made publically at an international conference of the Professors World Peace Academy, in Geneva.

The president of PWPA International was Dr. Morton Kaplan, a famous professor from the University of Chicago. I called him to Danbury and asked him to proclaim the end of the Soviet empire at the PWPA conference. Dr. Kaplan stated that he was a respected scholar who had written 17 books, and this proclamation would invalidate all of his books.

Hence, he could not do it. However, I said, "No! Wait and see what happens to the Communist Party in the next five years." Dr. Kaplan then suggested modifying the wording to say, "The Soviet Empire may be coming to an end." He suggested using the word "may."

My response was, "Do not use that word! Wait and see what happens to the Communist Party in the next five years. Go ahead and proclaim what I say!"

For the communist world to crumble, we have to proclaim its end. I said it would crumble in less than five years. The world's scholars said they could not understand me; however, after the proclamation, they saw that the world was being transformed.

They were unprepared for what had followed. Nowadays, they say, "He is a great teacher; he deserves our respect. He is an astonishing and historic person who has laid a foundation upon which we can act based on hitherto hidden knowledge." (193-275, 1989/10/08)

3. I stood at the forefront of bringing about the downfall of communism. People all over the world are aware that the downfall of the communist bloc was the result of my contributions. It was neither the work of the United States nor the work of Japan. In an ideological battle, it is important to vanquish the opponents' ideology.

That is why it was necessary to have underground movements in China and the Soviet Union. The Unification Church began underground movements in China and the Soviet Union several decades ago. The Soviet Union's KGB and Chinas intelligence agency were unaware of these activities.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, they asked, "Was Reverend Moon involved in underground activities in Russia?" I undertook and carried out those underground activities without anyone's knowledge and, eventually, results came. I prepared following the world's state of affairs. (255-107, 1994/03/10)

4. I wish to liberate even the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This liberation is achieved not through fighting, but through the logic of love. This is Godism, my philosophy. Since we have this philosophy, there is nothing for us to envy in the entire universe.

Loneliness cannot conquer us, and the waves of death are shattered by Godism.

The entire communist bloc is mobilizing around a movement to eliminate me, but I know the path I need to take. Which path can lead this world out of its confusion and into life?

When humanity follows the man and woman of oneness, who represent this world and who have God's love intoxicating their consciences and moving in their bodies, everything will be solved. They will expand to give birth to God's nation.
(163-117, 1987/04/19)

5. I was incarcerated in Danbury in 1984, at a time when the United States was the target of a 12-year-long effort aimed at communizing the country. I turned this around.

The year 1984 was the crucial year in the communists' plan to stomp on the United States. Satan imagined that by incarcerating me, he could act as he pleased. However, things did not go according to Satan's plan.

While I fought the legal battle, I founded The Washington Times and proclaimed the inexorable decline of the Soviet Union. (203-120, 1990/06/23)

Russia hosts media representatives.

From April 9 to 13, 1990, True Parents hosted an assembly in Moscow, as they had proclaimed they would, on the heels of the Washington Monument Rally.

Forty-one current and former heads of state and more than 600 guests, including media officials, politicians, and scholars from 60 nations, gathered at the International Trade Center in Moscow to attend the combined 11th World Media Conference, 3rd Conference of the Summit Council for World Peace, and 9th Conference of the Association for the Unity of Latin America (AULA).

6. What the citizens of the Soviet Union need most is God. Since atheism has destroyed their value as individual persons, now they must understand God. This is the unfolding of God's plan. Since I know that the heart of God yearns for these citizens to be informed, I have treated them with a heart greater than my heart for my father, mother, brothers, and sisters.

This situation is akin to that of a prodigal son who ran away and then returned home after 73 years. I fulfilled the role of the parent who welcomed the prodigal son, clothed him, placed a ring on his finger, er and fed him. (202-049, 1990/05/01)

7. I proclaimed that we would hold a rally in Moscow, and therefore I have been preparing to visit there.

This is why, before visiting the Soviet Union, I launched the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences, the World Media Association, Minority Alliance International, and the Summit Council for World Peace.

When visiting Moscow, I will lead a delegation of 50 former heads of state and prime ministers. It means that if I extend my hand, the General Secretary of the Communist Party will not be able to refuse my handshake.

Entering the country accompanied by several thousand of our European frontline church members, we will be able to hold a rally in Moscow. I am preparing for this event. (114-149, 1981/10/18)

8. Following Gorbachev's announcement of glasnost and perestroika, the conferences held in April 1990 by the World Media Association and the Summit Council for World Peace were the first events that outsiders held in Moscow.

Representatives from the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the KGB, the Novosti Press Agency, and others attended the event.

A senior aide to Gorbachev told me that he was aware that I had worked tremendously hard over the past 40 years despite great persecution. He said that he could return to the Soviet Union, translate the Divine Principle into simple language,e and distribute 30 million copies to young people through the Communist Party.

If he did that, he said he could gather more young people than the Unification Church had witnessed in the past 40 years. (201-180, 1990/04/01)

9. I did not go to the Soviet Union to praise it or to glorify the policies of glasnost and perestroika. I declared, "The Soviet Union will perish unless it knows about God."

God and the entire spirit world were closely observing what was going on. What would become of me if I praised the Soviet Union?

I had to say, "Listen to me! Serve Heaven!" That was the only way the spirit world could say, "Okay!" (201-231, 1990/04/22)

10. According to the Novosti Press Agency, the conference in Moscow was ten times more successful than it initially predicted. We set a record unprecedented in Soviet history. Furthermore, members of the Soviet KGB, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Novosti Press Agency, as well as the heads of various agencies expressed their amazement over this event.

They wondered, how did they accomplish this. They thought the Communist Party was the best, but this was a wake-up call for them. From this perspective, they recognized that I am a person who deserves great respect.

Officials of the Novosti Press Agency invited me as a VIP, gave me gifts, and expressed how grateful they were. Thus, I held the Soviet Union in my hands. We could see the fruit born of the indemnity conditions we had established. (201-245, 1990/04/28)

11. I met the members of the Communist Party and melted their hearts. The whole world recognizes this.

The democratic world also needs to be saved by my hands. Gorbachev of the Soviet Union must be saved as well. To succeed in this daring venture, we have to save these people, who are in the position of prodigal children, with the heart of a parent.

It is the same with Kim Il-sung. In 1987, Gorbachev and Kim Il-sung planned to assassinate me. They were my enemy among enemies. Even while that attempt on my life was still under investigation, I visited Moscow and North Korea in broad daylight. In the United States, the FBI and CIA were shocked and beseeched me not to go.

However, as a religious leader, I have a responsibility. I had to go and turn the key that would lead to the salvation of their people. (248-311, 1993/10/03)

12. Following the victorious conference held in Moscow from April 9 to 13, 1990, we hosted rallies to welcome True Parents all over the nation of Korea. The Moscow meeting may have been a victory, but what is its relevance to the Korean people?

The victory of the Moscow assembly is neither my victory as an individual nor a victory for the Unification Church. This assembly brought victory to Korea, victory to Asia, and victory to the world. However great a global victory it may be, it did not begin at the global level and then trickle down.

It began at the individual level and rose to the global level. Although the history that has unfolded since then may be considered tremendously great, this history began on the individual level.

What kind of person am I, the person who initiated the Moscow events? God leads the providence, and His Will is to unite the free world, the democratic world, into one. God's Will is for North and South Korea to become one. God's Will is for religions, which are filled with schisms, to become one. (204-060, 1990/07/01)

The meeting with Gorbachev

On April 11, 1990, during the conference in Moscow, True Parents held a historic meeting with President Mikhail Gorbachev at the Kremlin. They discussed diplomatic relations between Russia and Korea, the reunification of the Korean Peninsula, the expansion of religious freedom in the Soviet Union, and many other issues.

During the meeting, True Parents warned that because the only possible outcome of atheistic materialism is total ruin, materialism has to be abolished and efforts must be made to revive spiritual values based on religion.

After that meeting, at True Parents' suggestion, students and leaders who had been locked behind the Iron Curtain could leave the Soviet Union, which became the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), to begin their overseas education in the United States and other nations. On four occasions between July 1 and August 19, 1990, 380 Soviet university students visited the Unification Theological Seminary and attended the International Leadership Conference.

Then, in January and February 1991, 700 students attended seminars in three locations in Hungary. In July and August 1991, CARP hosted 24 seminars in four locations in the Baltics, attended by 2,000 university students. From January 26 to February 9, 1992, 27 seminars were held in 18 locations in the Crimean region of Ukraine for 3,160 students.

From March 20 to April 1, 1992,40 workshops on the Unification Principle were held for high school teachers and students from the CIS. These workshops were held in 23 locations, and 7,229 students attended, breaking previous attendance records. In the summer of that year, 18,042 students attended 129 workshops over eight weeks and, stayed in 26 locations spread over five regions of the CIS.

13. For the Soviet Union to survive, it has to follow what I say. The KGB is a fearsome organization. We have been engaging in activities focusing on the media, but during the Moscow conference, the KGB coordinated what was happening behind the scenes and the Novosti Press Agency confirmed the credentials of the participants. This is what I found out. This is why it generated a powerful influence.

The fact that we co-hosted the World Media Conference together with these people was incomprehensible to Soviet citizens. This was one of three great mysteries.

What were these great mysteries? First was the fact that I was staying at the Oktobraskaya Hotel. This was the hotel where people like Fidel Castro of Cuba and Kim Il-sung of North Korea stayed.

My staying at that hotel was a mystery. The second mystery was the fact that I met with Gorbachev. How could the very people who talked about killing me do this? In other words, how was it possible for Gorbachev to meet me?

The third mystery was the fact that the Novosti Press Agency co-hosted the World Media Conference with us. Such events were unprecedented in the 73-year history of the Soviet Communist Party. (201-240, 1990/04/28)

14. During my weeklong visit to the Soviet Union, the Soviet inner circle completely connected with me.

Key agents and other important individuals connected with me, with Gorbachev in the central position.

Neither the US Embassy in Russia nor all the embassies of the free world combined could do what I did. I accomplished everything up to that level. Then I met Gorbachev, and as we shook hands, I said, "Unless you do as I say, the Soviet Union cannot be saved." To that he replied, "Indeed!" I reached that level.

They cannot ignore what I say.

Why was Gorbachev happy to meet me, and why did the Soviet officials come to like me? It is because I am the person who came to save the Soviet Union. I am the person who is going into debt to accomplish this.

Among the people who have visited the Kremlin, there probably has been no one, politician or diplomat, who was trying to save that nation. There has been no one who went into debt to save Gorbachev.

I am going into debt to do this. This is why all the conscientious people are returning. It is an enemy nation. How much did they oppose us? Even now, many oppose us. Nonetheless, I went to that nation with love, with the idea of heaven. (201-229, 1990/04/22)

15. When I visited the Soviet Union, I took with me seven heads of state, including some affiliated with communism. Among them were the former presidents of Cuba and Yemen, and also the president of Costa Rica, who introduced me. I could bring them based on head-wing thought; because of that Gorbachev could not ignore me.

These included nations that gave him headaches. Since all these things were sorted out and they had gathered with me at the center, I created an environment useful to everyone.

We pushed forward to get some work done. This is what happens with people who work well together.

Neither money nor personal ability can guarantee a job well done. To work well, one has to adjust to the environment and use it to move forward. (201-250, 1990/04/28)

16. When I went to Moscow, I made a clear declaration: the only way for the Soviet Union to survive was to follow a religious path. I have lived my entire life as a religious leader. I made a clear declaration in Moscow, the center of the communist world. This shocked the communist leaders, as it did Gorbachev when he heard me say it.

In the closing banquet, I spoke in even stronger terms, "The Soviet Union must know about God. The Soviet Union can be revived when it finds this new path. It must return; otherwise, it will become obsolete!"

I said that unless they accept God, they will fall further and further behind. I proclaimed, "All the people living in the Soviet Union hate communism. Therefore, you must all go back to a point before you started 70 years ago.

You must return to the beginning when Russia was vigorous!" We opposed the core of communism. (216-085, 1991/03/09)

17. I visited Moscow, and through the conference there we fundamentally turned communism upside down. When I met Gorbachev, I told him to get rid of the statues of Marx and Lenin.

I said that if you do not get rid of them, even if you become a global leader worthy of being remembered in history, you will not be able to accomplish deeds that will heal the wounds perpetrated under the name of communism.

Because breaking down the statues could set a condition that would lead to good outcomes, he got rid of the statues. I am the person who brought down all the statues of Marx, Lenin, and Stalin in Moscow. (473-175, 2004/10/15)

18. After completing my weeklong stay in the Soviet Union, I shed tears when I left. I said, "Moscow, goodbye. I will be back. I will return before you know it; I will send my representatives." Then, as I left, I heard a voice; it was the voice of the countless spirits from the Soviet Union who were in the spirit world.

They said, "Please come back."

I am not an ordinary person. This is why there is hope in the Unification Church. Based on my experience, I realize that the foundation and activities of the Unification Church can dramatically expand in the Soviet Union. All of you need to take an interest in the Soviet Union and its satellites.

Even before the 1970s, I was sending secret envoys there. I educated and sent young people from developed nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and those of western Europe. These young people disappeared suddenly, and now they have reappeared as missionaries in the Soviet Union and its satellites.

People did not know what happened to them, but this is what had happened. I am a Teacher who has endured this type of history. The era has come when you too have to follow this path of responsibility. (201-336, 1990/04/29)

19. I did not meet President Gorbachev of the Soviet Union at a moment's notice. I met him by making it impossible for him not to meet me. I even met his wife and all the important people under him.

I began planning for this 12 years ago. They know that I am the person who awakened the Soviet Union's satellite nations. They all know that what has happened to Soviet communism is because of me.

When Gorbachev came to the United States in 1988 and tried to speak before Congress, who chased him away? Through The Washington Times, I worked behind the scenes to chase him away. This is what happened two years ago; yet, he knew that he could do nothing except kindly invite me to his inner room.

Now, even if I say no more about this, the Soviet Union can only follow me. That is why I plan to invite 200 of their key government officials for a seminar in the United States. I made a promise and have devised a plan to educate their eminent professors and people with doctoral degrees in economics. (201-220, 1990/04/19)

20. Fifteen minutes before taking off from Moscow, I met the Minister of Culture sent by Gorbachev. He asked me, "You have a record of leading the fight to bring about the collapse of communism.

As a religious person, you must be happy to see its collapse. What is the path for communists to find life?" In response, I emphatically told him that they needed to worship God. To assist in this endeavor, over several months I brought 3,500 to 4,000 Soviet leaders to the United States, where they received guidance using my teachings.

In this world, propitious times do not linger. The CIA was very concerned when I brought communists to the United States to be trained and then go back; but eventually, they trusted me.

Because I dealt with the Soviet leaders wisely and took the lead in guiding them, I had a foundation and they had no basis to oppose me. Even a deputy chairman of the KGB came, heard our presentations, and went back. Some members of the opposition party also came.

While Gorbachev was in power, there was a coup d'état attempt that lasted three days. However, 3,000 university students laid down in front of the tanks and stopped the coup.

After that, the Soviet Minister of Culture sent me a letter of gratitude. These were my experiences of history as it was in the making. Yet you have no idea how many difficulties and hardships I endured so that these events could take place.
(393-012, 2002/09/26)

21. On December 13, 1990, 58 Communist Party leaders from the Soviet Union and its satellites came to the United States. The Soviet Union and its satellites were enemies. However, after hearing our presentations, they all united and before going home started a club to develop a Unification political philosophy.

My philosophy alone could unite the European satellite nations with the Soviet Union and other communist nations. By forming this club, the satellite nations formed a united front line and resolved to proclaim, on a global level, national policies and other administrative policies based on my teachings.
(213-103, 1991/01/16)