Letter to Peng Dehuai and Huang Kecheng on Suspending the Bombardment and Issuing the "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan"

Peng, Huang, please forward to Han, Ye[1]:
Yesterday I said not to issue a statement, to wait two days and see. After thinking it over, I believe it is still better to make a statement first, hence this Message to Compatriots in Taiwan[2]. This document is about to be issued. Please have the Fujian Frontline Broadcasting Station broadcast it many times. That is my hope!

Mao Zedong
2:00 a.m., October 6

Deliver immediately to Kecheng for handling.

---

Message to Compatriots in Taiwan from the Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China[1]
(October 6, 1958)

Compatriots in arms and civilians of Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen, and Mazu:

We are all Chinese. Among the thirty-six stratagems, peace is the best. The Jinmen battle is punitive in nature. Your leaders were too reckless for too long in the past, ordering planes to make indiscriminate incursions into the mainland, reaching as far as Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Xikang,[2] and Qinghai to drop leaflets, dispatch agents, bomb Fuzhou, and harass Jiangsu and Zhejiang. If this can be tolerated, what cannot? Hence, firing some shells is to draw your attention.

Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen, and Mazu are Chinese territory—on this point you agree, as shown in the public statements of your leaders. It is definitely not American territory. Taiwan, Penghu, Jinmen, and Mazu are a part of China, not another country. In the world, there is only one China, not two Chinas. You also agree on this point, as shown in the public statements of your leaders. The military agreement[3] your leaders concluded with the Americans is one-sided; we do not recognize it and it should be abolished. One day the Americans will certainly abandon you. Do you not believe it? History will prove it. The statement by Dulles on September 30[4] already shows the clues. Standing in your position, can you not feel a chill in your hearts? In the final analysis, American imperialism is our common enemy.

The 130,000 troops and civilians of Jinmen are short of supplies, suffering from cold and hunger—this is hardly a viable long-term situation. For humanitarian reasons, I have ordered the Fujian front to suspend the bombardment for a period of seven days starting from October 6, during which you may freely transport supplies in full measure, but on the condition that there is no American escort. If there is an escort, this does not apply.

The war between you and us has lasted thirty years and has not yet ended. This is not good. I propose holding negotiations to achieve a peaceful settlement. Premier Zhou Enlai already told you this several years ago. This is a matter between our two sides within China, not a matter between China and the United States. The American occupation of Taiwan, Penghu, and the Taiwan Strait is a matter between China and the United States; it should be resolved through negotiations between the two countries, which are currently underway in Warsaw.[5] The Americans will have to leave eventually; not leaving is impossible. Leaving early is advantageous to the United States, as it can gain the initiative. Leaving late is disadvantageous, as it will remain passive. Why has a country from the Eastern Pacific come to the Western Pacific? The Western Pacific belongs to the people of the Western Pacific, just as the Eastern Pacific belongs to the people of the Eastern Pacific. This is common sense; the Americans should understand. There is no war between the People's Republic of China and the United States, so there is no talk of a ceasefire. Talking about a ceasefire when there is no fire—isn't that a joke? Friends in Taiwan, there is the fire of war between us. It should be stopped and extinguished. This requires negotiation. Of course, fighting for another thirty years is not such a terrible thing either, but a peaceful resolution at an early date is still the better course. Which way to go, we leave for you to decide.

Peng Dehuai
Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China
1:00 a.m., October 6, 1958