Report from Ridgway, Commander in Chief of the United Nations forces in Korea on meetings between the UN Command and North Korea to negotiate an armistice in Korea.
June 30, 1951
Ciphered Telegram No. 21340 from Beijing, Mao Zedong to Cde. Filippov [Stalin]
[...]
CIPHERED TELEGRAM No. 21340
To Cde. Stalin (2 copies)
From: Peking, 15:00, 30 June 1951.
[...]
Cde. Fillipov [Stalin]
The commander of the troops of the enemy, Ridgway, today made a statement with a proposal that representatives of both warring sides meet on a Danish ship in the port of Wonsan for a meeting about the cessation of military activities. Simultaneously with this he stated that a corresponding guarantee is required, and only in this case can military actions be ceased.
I report to you my opinion on the given question.
I ask you to study [it] and give an answer, and I also ask you to communicate it immediately to Comrade Kim Il Sung.
1. Comrade Kim Il Sung presumably must give an answer to Ridgway on the 2nd or 3rd of July. In this answer he must express his agreement to representatives of both sides conducting negotiations about a cessation of military operations, and to propose a time, place and number of participants for the meeting.
2. As concerns the place for holding the negotiations, Ridgway suggests the port of Wonsan.
Considering that Wonsan is a fortified sea base of North Korea and the enemy intends to make a landing there, it seems to me disadvantageous to agree to hold negotiations in Wonsan. Is it impossible to propose for the conduct of negotiations the town of Gaeseong [Kaesong], a point on the 38th parallel?
3. For the goal of securing for our representatives time for full preparation for the meeting it seems to me advantageous to name July 15 as the opening day of the meeting.
4. In light of the compressed period of time and the great importance of the given meeting I ask you to immediately communicate with comrade Kim Il Sung, personally to lead this meeting and simultaneously to inform me.
Mao Zedong.
No. 3267
30 June 16.50 Peking
Telegram from Mao to Stalin advising on the manner in which he believes armistice negotiations should be carried out.
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APRF, f. 45, op. 1, d. 339, ll. 93-94; AVP RF, f. 59a, op. 5a, d. 4, p. 11, ll. 12-13; and RGASPI, f. 558, op. 11, d. 339, ll. 0093-0094.
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