Lot 55D128: Black Book, Tab 35: Telegram
The Commander in Chief, United Nations Command ( Ridgway ) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
operational immediate
C–50114. Ref mymsg C–50113.1 The fol is a translation of the Chinese version of the msg delivered to a UNC Liaison off at Pan Mun Jom at 021900K September:
“1 September 1951
“Gen Ridgway:
“At 0030 hours on 1 September, a mil acft of your side again illegally intruded into the air space over our Kaesong neutral zone and carried out bombing. It has now been established by investigation that the two bombs dropped were only 500–600 meters from the residence of our senior del, Gen Nam Il.
[Page 874]“This is another serious provocative action of your mil acft, fol the bombing of our delegation’s residence on the night of 22 Aug. We hereby lodge a serious protest against you. After the incident of 22 Aug, not only did your side display an attitude of total irresponsibility toward this provocative act, but your reply of 29 Aug rejected our demand that this matter be reinvestigated; furthermore, you cont to dispatch South Korean trp to enter the neutral zone illegally and on 30 Aug once again murdered 2 mil police of our side. At the same time, you cont to send your mil acft continuously into the air space over the Kaesong neutral zone. In the 8 days from 23 through 30 Aug, 25 sorties appeared.
“At 0240 hours on 29 Aug a flare was dropped in the vic of the Kaesong conf site. Our senior del Gen Nam Il had continually protested against this string of provocative acts on your part. Nevertheless, your delegation and yourself have, on the one hand, denied and repudiated the bombing completely ignoring the facts while on the other, your armed forces cont to provoke hostilities openly and shamelessly and without the slightest scruple, with the second airplane bombing of the Kaesong neutral zone manifesting on 1 September.
“Even today, while your liaison officers were conducting the investigation in Kaesong, one of your mil acft still flew over the air space of Kaesong neutral zone illegally. This was eye-witnessed by those pers present at the scene, including pressmen of both sides. The obj of your ceaseless action in violating the Kaesong neutrality agreement could not have any excuse or explanation other than that you obviously harbor the intention of destroying the Kaesong armistice talks and to render it impossible to cont the Kaesong conf. Your liaison officers, having this date come to Kaesong and made a local investigation, can in no way deny the actual results created by the bombing of your acft within the Kaesong neutral zone at 0030 hours on 1 September. However, your liaison officers still repudiated by saying that it was not a United Nations Comd acft, in the same manner as during the incident of 22 Aug. It is beyond all dispute that the aerial bombing this time had been cfm by your liaison officers. Thus the previous aerial bombing, which was investigated by your liaison officers who, however, dared not come again to reinves, also had become an obvious iron fact without doubt. Your side merely repudiated by saying this was not a United Nations Comd acft; would it be possible that our acft would bomb our own delegation? The entire just and well-disposed people of the world will not believe your such exceedingly absurd repudiation and prevarication. In fact, after the bombing of the Kaesong neutral zone by your mil acft at 0030 hours 1 September, your acft still recon the air space over Kaesong neutral zone throughout [Page 875] the night and carried out bombing at the environ of the Kaesong neutral zone. Is this not the clearest proof of the inescapable involvement of United Nations Comd acft? Now we gravely point out to you, that if your side is determined to break off the negotiations, then you should openly and formally announce your determination, but must not ceaselessly carry out such worthless provocative actions. If your side still intends to resume the Kaesong conf so as to seek a just and reasonable armistice agreement, then your side should agree to our fol demand, that: Your side must seriously and responsibly take disposition of the series of grave provocative incidents that occurred between 22 Aug and 1 September, and absolutely guarantee against recurrence of such actions and the violations of the Kaesong neutrality agreement, so that the Kaesong Armistice Conf may be reopened.
“Awaiting your reply, Kim Il Sung, Supreme Comd, Korean Peoples Army; Peng Teh-Huai Comd, Chinese Peoples Vol Army”.
- Telegram C–50113, not printed, conveyed the text, as broadcast over Peking radio, of the message of protest from the Communist commanders contained in telegram C–50114 (Black Book, Tab 34).↩