Telegram to the General Front Committee and Others
(April 23, 1949)
The British warship incident has now sent shockwaves around the world. Both the British and American press have carried it as front-page headline news. Order Su and Zhang to tighten the artillery blockade in the Jiangyin area. First, to prevent the Kuomintang warships from fleeing eastward. Second, to make it impossible for any British warships that might come again to intrude westward; if they dare to do so, strike them.

[1] This is the main content of a telegram drafted by Mao Zedong for the Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, addressed to the General Front Committee, Su Yu, Zhang Zhen, Liu Bocheng, Zhang Jichun, and Li Da, concerning the handling of the British warship incident.