Telegram to the Dalai Lama
(November 10, 1951)

Mr. Dalai Lama:
Your telegram of November 4 has been received. Regarding the matter of Mr. Panchen Erdeni’s entry into Tibet,[1] instructions have been given to the Northwest Local People’s Government to take responsibility for providing assistance. Once preparations are complete, he may set out on his journey.

Mao Zedong
November 10

[1] Panchen Erdeni, namely Panchen Erdeni Chokyi Gyaltsen (1938–1989), the 10th Panchen Lama, was a native of Xunhua, Qinghai. At the time, he was one of the religious and political leaders of the Tibet region. Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, due to various reasons, contradictions existed between the upper-level Dalai Lama clique and the Panchen Lama clique in Tibet. The 9th Panchen Erdeni, Chokyi Nyima, was forced to leave Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, Tibet, in 1923 and resided in the interior. Due to obstruction by the local Tibetan authorities, he was never able to return to Tibet and passed away in Yushu, Qinghai, in December 1937. After Panchen Erdeni Chokyi Gyaltsen succeeded to the position in June 1949, he continued to reside in Qinghai and other areas. On the very day of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Panchen Erdeni Chokyi Gyaltsen sent telegrams to Mao Zedong and Zhu De, expressing his support for the Central People’s Government and his hope for the early liberation of Tibet. In view of the Panchen Erdeni’s historical status in Tibet and the wishes of the broad masses of Tibetan monks and laypeople, as well as to promote unity within the Tibetan ethnic group and the peaceful resolution of the Tibet issue, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China supported Panchen Erdeni Chokyi Gyaltsen’s return to Tibet. The "Agreement Between the Central People’s Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet," signed in Beijing on May 23, 1951, stipulated: "The inherent status and authority of the Panchen Erdeni shall be maintained." The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Mao Zedong instructed the Northwest Military and Political Committee to take responsibility for the preparatory work and escort duties for Panchen Erdeni Chokyi Gyaltsen’s return to Tibet. On December 29, 1951, Panchen Erdeni Chokyi Gyaltsen and officials of the Panchen Khenpo Assembly Hall set out from Xining, Qinghai, arriving in Lhasa on April 28, 1952, and returning to Shigatse in Tsang on June 8.