Telegram Concerning the Exposure of the Opposing Side’s Violation of the Armistice Agreement and the Wounding of Members of Our Delegation (February 11, 1953) To Comrade Ding Guoyu [1] and also to Kim and Peng [2]: We have received your telegram of 9 February at 23:00, as well as the brief report and attachments dated 8 February at 23:30. We concur with the assessment set forth in the telegram. With regard to the course of action, the measures you propose are acceptable; however, in terms of overall approach, it is imperative first to expose and denounce the other side, strike a decisive blow against its position, and seize the initiative.  Therefore, at the liaison officers’ meeting, you should clearly point out that the opposing side has deliberately violated the armistice agreement by shelling and strafing our delegation’s vehicles, thereby wounding three members of our delegation. To date, the other party has offered no explanation whatsoever for this incident; instead, it has demanded that we furnish information that it already knows full well. This is plainly an attempt to create obstacles and to find pretexts for evading responsibility. In our protest of 23 January, we already presented all the principal facts concerning this act of breach of the armistice, which irrefutably demonstrate the other side’s deliberate violation of the agreement and its grave culpability in attempting to murder members of our delegation. Now, in order thoroughly to foil any maneuvers by the opposing side aimed at denying the facts or shirking responsibility, we shall further present material evidence such as shell fragments. The other party must immediately acknowledge the facts and provide a clear account; any excuses or delays will be wholly insufficient to absolve it of this responsibility or to conceal it.

You may elaborate on this fundamental stance at the meeting, developing the factual arguments accordingly. For this liaison officers’ meeting, Comrades Zhu Ran and Chai Chengwen [3] should take the lead in conducting the confrontation, while ensuring close coordination with the press.  Mao Zedong, 11 February, 15:00. Printed according to the revised text. Notes [1] Ding Guoyu was at the time involved in the leadership of the DPRK–China Joint Delegation to the Korean Armistice Talks. [2] “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. [3] Zhu Ran was a colonel in the Korean People’s Army and served as the chief liaison officer of the DPRK–China Joint Delegation to the Korean Armistice Talks. Chai Chengwen was a liaison officer of the same delegation and Secretary-General of the Chinese People’s Volunteers’ delegation.