War Should Be Approached by Preparing for the Worst[1]
(December 3, 1950)
It is possible that the war will be resolved quickly, but it could also drag on, and we are prepared to fight for at least a year. The Korean side should also make long-term plans and should still rely mainly on self-reliance, with gaining foreign aid as a supplement. The enemy may request an armistice, but we believe that the enemy must acknowledge the withdrawal from Korea, and first withdraw to south of the 38th Parallel, before negotiations on an armistice can take place. It would be best if we not only capture Pyongyang, but also take Seoul. The main thing is to destroy the enemy, first and foremost to completely annihilate the puppet troops, which would give greater force to promoting the withdrawal of American imperialism. If American imperialism acknowledges the withdrawal of its troops, the United Nations may, under the condition of agreeing to the participation of China and the Soviet Union, advocate that the entire Korean people elect their own government under UN supervision. But American imperialism, like Chiang Kai-shek, is such that its promises and agreements are all unreliable, so we should prepare for the worst.

[1] This is part of the main points of the conversation between Mao Zedong and Kim Il Sung, Prime Minister of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, during their talks in Beijing on December 3, 1950. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China conveyed these main points in a telegram dated December 4, 1950, to Peng Dehuai, Commander and Political Commissar of the Chinese People's Volunteers.