OUR TROOPS SHOULD AND MUST ENTER
KOREA TO JOIN THE FIGHTING*
(October 13, 1950)
(1) Consultations with comrades of the Political Bureau have resulted in
the consensus that it is advantageous for our troops to move into Korea. In
the first stage our troops can single out the puppet troops'" as our target of
attack. Our troops are certain of victory in dealing with the puppet troops and
can open up base areas in the vast mountainous regions of Korea north of the
Wonsan-Pyongyang line, thereby heartening the Korean people. In the first
stage, with the wiping out of several divisions of the puppet troops, the
situation in Korea will take a turn to our advantage.
(2) Our adoption of the above-mentioned positive policy is extremely
advantageous to China, Korea, the East and indeed the world as a whole.
Conversely, if we do not send our troops and let the enemy press forward to
the banks of the Yalu River, the arrogance of the domestic and international
reactionaries will be inflated, causing disadvantages to all concerned, first of
all to northeast China, with the entire northeast border-guard forces pinned
down and the electrical power of southern Manchuria brought under enemy
control.
In short, we deem that we should and must join the fighting in Korea.
Participation will be most advantageous, while nonparticipation will be detrimental.
(From the original manuscript)
* These are excerpts from a telegram from Mao Zedong to Zhou Enlai, who was then
visiting the Soviet Union.