To Comrade Peng Zhen:
There is a minor revision on page two!
Mao Zedong
April 28, 1:30 a.m.

[1]
[2]
Complete Works of Mao Zedong, Volume 41

To Peng Zhen. Slightly revised.
Mao Zedong
April 28

Note:
Mao Zedong's revisions to the draft resolution primarily involved minor textual changes.

The Tibetan People Support the People's Liberation Army in Suppressing the Rebellion, as Close as Family
( April 28, 1959 )

[Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 28] The campaign to suppress the rebellion in the vast region south of the Yarlung Zangbo River and north of the Himalayan border has largely concluded, achieving significant victory. This success has been accomplished through the combination of the local people's enthusiastic support for the counter-rebellion war and the heroic combat of the People's Liberation Army. The reactionary American journalist Alsop claimed that suppressing the rebellion was impossible, requiring 200,000 troops and 10,000 tons of supplies daily, with roads blocked and tools lacking, thus making suppression hopeless. The leader of Taiwan's reactionary literati, Hu Shi, said that during China's War of Resistance Against Japan, in Hu Shi's hometown of Huizhou Prefecture, Anhui Province, the mountains were not very high and the waters not very deep, yet the Japanese dared not go there. Tibet's terrain is exceptionally high and complex, with features like the Himalayas and the Yarlung Zangbo River (navigable by skin boats only in a few short stretches); how could the Communists possibly fight the rebel forces? Here, Hu Shi has put into practice his so-called "bold hypothesis," yet his so-called "careful verification" is nowhere to be seen. Bold indeed, but exceedingly crude in thought. The reactionaries of the world, represented by Hu Shi, have forgotten one thing: Japan fought China as counter-revolutionaries against revolutionaries, whereas China is suppressing the rebel bandits as revolutionaries against counter-revolutionaries. The two are entirely opposite, and the outcomes of victory and defeat are distinctly different. Tibet's high terrain and thin air have also frightened many sympathizers of the Tibetan people while delighting the majority of the world's bourgeoisie. The former say, "There may be some difficulties; the Han people assisting the Tibetans in the counter-rebellion war and social reforms is necessary, but hardships are bound to be many." The latter say, "It absolutely cannot be done, or at least it will be protracted." Friends and enemies alike, you are all mistaken. If the enemy could go there, why can't we? This roof of the world covers a total area of 120,000 square kilometers with a population of 1.2 million. The inhabited areas are in the hills and valleys, not very high—merely over 3,000 meters above sea level—so why can't people live there? Before the rebellion, we had only 20,000 people there, distributed across several key points within 120 kilometers, including both military personnel and civilian staff. After the rebellion, we added two and a half divisions and a batch of cadres, totaling just over 20,000. Combined with the previous forces, the total is 50,000, which is one-quarter of the 200,000 Alsop deemed necessary. Among the cadres are nearly 10,000 young Tibetan cadres, brimming with drive. After the rebellion is suppressed, we will organize self-defense armed forces of the Tibetan working people, with a minority being regular troops and the majority being militia who do not leave production. By then, it will suffice for the People's Liberation Army to leave one division, and the main forces can be withdrawn. Our Indian friends have no reason to fear. We are so busy with our own household affairs that we have no leisure to meddle in others' business. Moreover, as Communists, we are in principle not permitted to interfere in the internal affairs of others. But we also ask you not to meddle in matters north of the Himalayas, and it would be best to make less noise. Noise is futile. If you clamor, we must clamor in return—can it be that only the magistrate is allowed to set fires while the common people are forbidden to light lamps? Here is a document, a report to Beijing from the Political Department of the 134th Division of the People's Liberation Army, recounting how the masses have assisted in suppressing the rebellion.

--- Notes

Note one is written on the draft resolution on the Tibet issue for the First Session of the Second National People's Congress; note two is written on the revised draft resolution submitted for review by Peng Zhen, member of the Presidium and Secretary-General of the First Session of the Second National People's Congress, on the night of April 27, 1959.


Page two of the initial draft resolution stated: "The Central People's Government did not order the dissolution of the former local government of Tibet and command the People's Liberation Army to suppress the rebellion until after the rebel bandits launched an attack on the PLA garrison in Lhasa."
Mao Zedong revised it to: "The Central People's Government did not command the People's Liberation Army to suppress the rebellion and order the dissolution of the former local government of Tibet until after the rebel bandits launched an attack on the PLA garrison in Lhasa." He also noted in the margin: "The dissolution of the government should be placed after the suppression of the rebellion."