Telegram to Panchen Gnoertehni
(November 23, 1949)

Source: RMRB (Nov. 24, 1949), 1.

Panchen Gnoertehni was the Panchen Lama of Tibet. The Panchen Lama rivaled the
Dalai Lama in religious authority and political power. See also text May 24, 1951,

note 2.
Panchen Gnoertehni:

We were extremely happy to receive and read your telegram of October 1.
The Tibetan people love the homeland and are opposed to foreign aggression.
They are dissatisfied with the policies of the reactionary government of the
Kuomintang and wish to be a part of the great family of New China which is
united and strong and in which all the nationalities cooperate as equals with
one another. The Central People’s Government and the Chinese People’s Lib-eration Army will surely fulfill this wish of the Tibetan people. We hope that
you, sir, and all the patriotic people of Tibet will strive together to fight for the
liberation of Tibet and the unity of the Han and Tibetan peoples.

(Co-signed with Zhu De and dated)