Telegram to Li Kenong
(July 9, 1951)

Comrade Li Kenong, and for the information of Kim and Peng:

Your telegram of 23:00 on July 8 has been received.

(1) The draft communiqué [4] is usable and has already been published.

(2) Both of the draft speeches by Nam Il and Deng Hua [5] are usable. However, the passage in Nam Il’s draft stating “willing to accept the proposal of Mr. Malik, the representative of the Soviet Union to the United Nations, and prepared to hold armistice negotiations” should be revised to “willing to hold armistice negotiations.” The statement contains no textual indication of willingness to accept Malik’s proposal. If Nam Il puts it this way, it may invite unwarranted criticism from the other side. The section in Deng Hua’s draft speech referring to Malik’s proposal is well phrased and will not provoke criticism. If you deem it necessary for Nam Il’s draft speech to mention Malik’s proposal, it should be placed elsewhere.

Mao Zedong
12:00, July 9

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Nam Il was then the chief delegate of the Korean People’s Army Supreme Command at the Korean armistice negotiations. Deng Hua was then the delegate of the Chinese People’s Volunteers at the Korean armistice negotiations.

[2] Li Kenong was then Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Central People’s Government.

[3] Kim refers to Kim Il Sung, Premier of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Peng refers to Peng Dehuai, Commander and Political Commissar of the Chinese People’s Volunteers.

[4] Refers to the report draft sent by Li Kenong concerning the arrival of the Korean-Chinese side’s liaison officers in the Kaesong area to arrange and prepare for the Korean armistice negotiation meetings in Kaesong. Mao Zedong revised it into a Korean Central News Agency dispatch and instructed Hu Qiaomu: “Broadcast immediately in English; no need to publish in newspapers.”

[5] Refers to the draft speeches prepared respectively by Nam Il and Deng Hua for the first session of the Korean armistice negotiations. These two speeches were published in *Renmin Ribao* on July 11, 1951.