The Struggle Against Friction Must Adhere to the Principle of Self-Defense (March 14, 1940)

To Zhu, Peng, Yang, Liu, Deng, Zuo, Huang, Chen, Luo, Xu, Zhu:

(A) In the struggle against friction, we must adhere to the principle of self-defense and must not exceed the scope of self-defense. If this scope is exceeded, it will be very detrimental to the national influence and the united front. This point should be especially noted with regard to the Central Army, because the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party is primarily cooperation with the Central Army.

(B) At present, the struggle against friction in Shanxi and Hebei must be brought to a halt and should not be further developed.

The Secretariat of the Central Committee and the Military Commission
March 14

[1] This is a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Central Military Commission, addressed to Zhu De, Peng Dehuai, Yang Shangkun, Liu Bocheng, Deng Xiaoping, Zuo Quan, Huang Kecheng, Chen Guang, Luo Ronghuan, Xu Xiangqian, and Zhu Rui.