(April 13, 1952)

To the Tibet Work Committee, and to be passed on to the Southwest Bureau:

(1) The telegram of 23:00 on April 12, reporting on the notice[1] from the Central Representative to the Dalai, has been received. This notice is fundamentally correct. If it has already been sent, then proceed as is. If it has not been sent, please make a slight revision. Specifically, in the three points narrating the criminal facts of the two Sicao, the second point, which says the two Sicao opposed the establishment of the military sub-district, opposed the reorganization of the Tibetan army, and said the People's Liberation Army had beaten the Tibetan army black and blue, should be deleted and changed to: “failing to implement the provisions of the Agreement.[2] They hold an oppositional attitude toward several important provisions in the Agreement, such as the reorganization of the army. They completely fail to understand that all articles of the Agreement are beneficial to the future and happiness of the Tibetan nationality and the Tibetan people. They are not putting forward constructive opinions on the implementation steps and methods for certain articles of the Agreement, but are fundamentally opposing the implementation of the Agreement.” This wording is better able to win over the majority and also lays the groundwork for us to possibly accept reasonable opinions on the implementation steps and methods for certain articles.

(2) When Comrade Zhang Jingwu meets with the Dalai, and when you talk with Apei[3] and other personnel, do not speak of a policy of compromise for the time being. At present, only conduct political struggle and prepare for a military counter-attack. Whether a policy of compromise will be proposed in the future, and when and how it will be proposed, will all await a clear view of the results of this political struggle, after which you will report to the Central Committee for a specific decision. However, do not at present emphasize that the army must be reorganized immediately, or that the Military and Administrative Committee and the military sub-district must be established immediately. If they ask what “constructive opinions on implementation steps and methods” are, you can tell them to ask everyone to think about it, that any opinions beneficial to Han-Tibetan unity and the proper implementation of the Agreement are constructive opinions. If there are such opinions, we are willing to listen and also willing to consult; but do not rashly express your own specific opinions, so as to avoid falling into a passive position.

(3) It seems that the Tibetan army in Lhasa will probably have to be gradually reformed. The Tibetan armies in other areas can be reformed more slowly. And it must be done part by part, not all at once. The steps for reform are: after the patriotic faction such as Apei is in power, gradually replace some of the most reactionary military officers, and transfer the remaining officers out in batches for training, gradually having officers in the Tibetan army who are close to us. Use this method to gradually achieve the goal of reorganizing the Tibetan army.

Central Committee
April 13

[1]
Refers to the notice from Zhang Jingwu, Representative of the Central People's Government in Tibet, to the Dalai Lama. The notice listed the specific facts of the two Sicao, Lhukhangwa Tsewang Rabten and Lobsang Tashi of Benshutsang, consistently sabotaging the implementation of the Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, and put forward demands such as their dismissal and investigation.
[2]
Refers to the “Agreement of 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.
[3]
Apei, i.e., Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme, was at the time Deputy Commander of the Tibet Military Area Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, a Kalon of the Local Government of Tibet, and Vice Chairman of the Qamdo Area People's Liberation Committee. In 1951, he was the chief plenipotentiary delegate sent by the Local Government of Tibet to Beijing to negotiate the peaceful resolution of the Tibet issue.