Working for the Cuu Quoc newspaper during the clandestine period.

The newspaper Cuu Quoc - a newspaper of the Viet Minh Front, born during the clandestine period - actively contributed to propagating the Party's guidelines and policies and the Front's principles, reflecting the struggle movements of mass organizations, exposing the enemy, and winning over all strata of the people...

In the recollections of journalists from that era, this was an extremely difficult period, but also one filled with unforgettable memories.

Special journalistic methods

The first issue of Cuu Quoc newspaper was published on January 25, 1942. Comrades Truong Chinh and Le Quang Dao were directly in charge of the newspaper. At that time, there was no organized editorial office; instead, articles and news were delivered to the printing house by courier, who then arranged them into newspaper pages as they saw fit. Occasionally, Comrade Nguyen Khang personally visited the printing house to oversee the work.

At the end of 1944, journalist Xuan Thuy was released from prison and put in charge of the newspaper. Later, Pham Van Hao and Tran Huy Lieu, also released from prison, joined him, initially forming the editorial office model. In his memoir "The Journey of Cuu Quoc Newspaper," journalist Xuan Thuy recalled: "I was directly responsible for the newspaper, so when the editorial board met, I presented the newspaper's structure according to the amount of paper we had. The paper was secretly transported from Hanoi . I decided on the number of pages, the focus of the issues, the sections, the articles... Once the editorial board agreed on which articles to write, we set a deadline for submission, and then everyone went their separate ways... After revising an article, I had to take it to several Cuu Quoc groups to read to them, to see if they understood and to get their feedback, then I would take it back and revise it. That's how the newspaper stayed close to the readers."

Journalist Nguyen Van Hai, the editor of the Cuu Quoc newspaper, said: Due to the clandestine nature of operations, intense enemy repression, and difficult printing conditions, the newspaper was not published regularly, especially in the early days when only one issue could be published every few months. For example, issue number 3 was published on March 5, 1943, and issue number 7 on July 15, 1943. To date, it has been determined that from the beginning (January 25, 1942) until the General Uprising, the newspaper was published in total about 20-21 issues. From the end of 1943 to the beginning of 1944, the newspaper was published more regularly every month. During the pre-uprising period, the newspaper was published in larger quantities. The newspaper was usually published in 4 pages, 27 x 38 cm in size, using various types of paper: Do paper, Ban paper, sometimes even "daily" paper or "Chinese white paper," with a print run of 500-1,000 copies, mainly using lithography.

Journalist Nguyen Van Hai, in his book "Cuu Quoc Newspaper 1942 - 1954," stated: "It was called a printing house, but in reality, it only consisted of a few stones, some ink, printing paper, a few rollers, and miscellaneous tools, sometimes set up here, sometimes there, in people's rooms, at various locations it moved to. The printing house for Cuu Quoc newspaper was named Phan Dinh Phung Printing House, and the printing house for Co Giai Phong newspaper was named Tran Phu Printing House."

In the book "Xuan Thuy, an outstanding political activist, diplomat, journalist, and great poet," journalist Xuan Thuy shared: "Regarding the lithographic printing method, we bought stones from Tram Pagoda Mountain, about twenty kilometers from Hanoi. There, people cut the stones into slabs to make tabletops. We selected white stone slabs without veins, more than 1 cm thick, 60 cm long, and 45 cm wide, sometimes smaller, at least two slabs. Bringing the stones back, we used a sanding stone to smooth and flatten the surface of the white stone slab, then used a whetstone to smooth it even more. Each time we polished, we sprinkled water to lubricate it, and finally, we washed the white stone slab thoroughly with water and dried it. Once dry, following the design, we used a steel pen dipped in Charbonnese ink to write and draw on the surface of the stone slab. We wrote and drew in reverse. We had to use a paper liner to prevent sweat or fingerprints from getting on the materials we were working with. Afterwards, we used diluted lemon juice to clean the stone surface, leaving only the writing and drawings." The drawings are imprinted on the stone. The stone slab must be allowed to dry before printing. Before printing, the stone surface is moistened with water. One person uses a roller (a wooden roller covered with felt, then covered with a layer of bicycle inner tube) to press into the ink already poured onto a thin piece of metal, and rolls the roller across the stone surface. The ink doesn't stick to the wet areas of the stone, but seeps into the imprinted lines of the letters and drawings. Another person places a blank sheet of paper on the ink-rolled stone slab and uses a clean, dry roller to roll over the paper. The paper is peeled off to form a newspaper. After printing one sheet, another is placed on the stone and the process is repeated. Approximately 300 newspapers can be printed each day. If the newspaper has two, four, or more pages, more stone slabs and more people are needed, following the same method. After printing, the stone slabs are cleaned with lemon juice and polished for later use.

Writing neatly in the forward direction is difficult enough, but writing neatly and evenly in reverse is even more challenging. Yet, our revolutionary journalists, over 80 years ago, were very skilled at writing in reverse, and they did it on stone. Only by writing in reverse on stone could they implement the lithographic printing technique, instead of using mass printing machines as we do today.

Secret editorial and printing offices "in the heart of the people"

The location of the printing press during this period had to be kept absolutely secret. The printing press of the Cuu Quoc Newspaper, located in Lieu Khe (Song Lieu) commune, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province, was housed in a secluded room at the gable end of a house, used to store sacks of rice, baskets of old clothes, and miscellaneous items. The door was always tightly closed, the air damp and musty, reeking of rice, old clothes, and bedding. On days when they went on assignments, the printing press staff had to leave around 4 am and return at dusk; the homeowner had prepared a hole in the fence for them to crawl through, so they were not allowed to use the main gate. During their time at the printing press, the homeowner would create a small opening in the roof or gable wall to let in light. The homeowner would provide meals and water to maintain secrecy for the staff. Even so, to ensure safety, the printing press staff always had escape plans ready in case the enemy arrived.

In July 1944, the printing house of the Cuu Quoc Newspaper moved to Ha Dong. Initially, it temporarily stayed at Mrs. Hai Lam's house in Van Phuc, then moved to Doi Hamlet, Tien Lu Village, Chuong My District, next to Dai On Church, overlooking Tram Pagoda. This location was a hilly area with many trees and few houses, thus ensuring considerable secrecy. In his memoir "Cuu Quoc Newspaper 1942 - 1954," journalist Nguyen Van Hai recounts the story of "fleeing from the enemy" as follows: "It was the 27th or 28th of Tet (Lunar New Year), and the comrades felt the enemy had sensed something was amiss, and things weren't looking good. The Party planned to move the location, but early in the morning, the district chief sent soldiers to surround the place because someone reported that counterfeit money was being printed there. Xuan Thuy ran and hid inside. Le Vien quickly carried all the stone slabs, paper, and ink into a prepared cave behind the house. Vien managed to climb back up the jagged rock formation on the mountain behind the house before the enemy kicked down the door. They searched but found nothing, although the stove still had a fire burning and a pot of sticky rice. After searching for a long time without finding anyone, they left. Afterwards, the comrades spread the word that 'the Viet Minh had the power of invisibility; there were clearly people inside the house, but they couldn't catch anyone.'"

To maintain secrecy, in April 1945, the Cuu Quoc Newspaper office moved to Thu Que village, Song Phuong commune, Dan Phuong district, then to Van Phuc before finally relocating to the capital after the successful General Uprising. According to journalist Xuan Thuy, the editorial office in Thu Que was located in extremely difficult conditions, "serving as both a pigsty, a kitchen, and the daily workplace," with writing articles, meetings, and meals taking place on a single bamboo bed. Xuan Thuy wrote a few verses to depict the scene and the unwavering will of the revolutionary journalists: "Literature has drowned out the pigsty's smell / The smoke and fire further fuel the determination to destroy the enemy / The bamboo bed is as strong as iron and steel / This time, the fascists will surely turn to ashes!"

Working as journalists in the clandestine era was fraught with danger, hardship, and shortages of all kinds, but with revolutionary fervor and a pioneering spirit on the ideological front, our journalist-soldiers overcame everything to join the nation in achieving victory in the General Uprising of Autumn 1945...

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/lam-bao-cuu-quoc-thoi-ky-bi-mat-705912.html