Draft of the Third Letter from the Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China to Our Compatriots in Taiwan [1] (November 1958) Fellow military personnel and civilians in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu: In light of the favorable response from the vast majority of officers and soldiers of the Kuomintang forces stationed on the Kinmen Islands, this Ministry hereby announces that the regulation suspending artillery fire on four types of military targets—Kinmen Airport, the docks and beaches of Liao Luo Bay, and vessels—every even-numbered day shall now be extended to all other regions. On even-numbered days, no artillery fire will be conducted; such firing will henceforth be carried out exclusively on odd-numbered days. For certain targets—for example, airports, the docks and beaches of Liao Luo Bay, and ships—it may not necessarily be fired upon even on odd-numbered days. However, it would be advisable for your aircraft and vessels to refrain from approaching these areas to avoid potential damage. The prohibition on U.S. escort vessels remains in effect, as stipulated in previous statements.

Two years ago, Premier Zhou Enlai suggested to you that peaceful negotiations be held to resolve the historical disputes between the Kuomintang and the Communist parties and to peacefully liberate the Taiwan region. Unfortunately, this proposal did not receive a positive response from your side. The United States is vigorously restraining the Taiwan authorities, preventing them from engaging in talks with us, with the sole intention of interfering in China’s internal affairs. The Americans are deeply fearful of peace and of the Kuomintang and Communist parties drawing closer to reach a peaceful settlement, as this would thwart their schemes to isolate and place Taiwan under trusteeship. We must defeat this plan. We hope that one day the Taiwan authorities will shake off the U.S.-imposed stranglehold, dispatch representatives, and enter into peace talks. Our negotiations would be genuine; if successful, the civil war could be declared over, allowing all Chinese people to unite and collectively confront external threats—a truly beneficial outcome, would it not? The so-called unity and mutual trust between the Americans and the Kuomintang are merely empty rhetoric and ultimately unreliable. No matter how often they are proclaimed, even you yourselves hardly believe in them. Fellow countrymen, we are all Chinese. We are confident that when the Americans seek to drive the Kuomintang to a dead end, the Kuomintang will come to its senses, and peace talks will stand a real chance of success. There is no basis for pessimism on this score. We urge you to disregard all pessimistic pronouncements spread by pro-U.S. elements.

Minister of National Defense Peng Dehuai November 1958

According to Mao Zedong’s manuscript. Note [1] This is a draft prepared by Mao Zedong for a “Third Letter to Our Compatriots in Taiwan,” intended to be issued in the name of Minister of National Defense Peng Dehuai, with the title also proposed by Mao. It was never published.