Lot 55D128: Black Book, Tab 111: Telegram
The Commander in Chief, Far East (Ridgway) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
C–52201. Fol msg rec fr Gen Kim Il Sung and Gen Peng Teh Huai released to press simultaneously Tokyo and CINCUNC Adv at 1700 local this date: Fol is trans Chinese text of msg received by Col Murray from Col Chang at Pan Mun Jom at 1000 hours 4 Oct “3 Oct 51 General Ridgway, Commander in Chief UNC: Your letter of reply dtd 27 Sep has been received.
“In your letter you again proposed anew to change the conference site, which was previously proposed by you on 6 Sep and already rejected by us in our letter dtd 11 Sep. We consider it (your proposal) entirely void of reason.
“To have Kaesong as the conference site was agreed upon by your side. The neutralization of Kaesong area was established by mutual agreement, also following your proposal on 13 Jul. Since then, other than the accidental incident that occurred on 4 Aug and which was expeditiously and realistically settled by us and considered satisfactory by your side, you have not raised any complaint concerning the neutralized condition of the Kaesong neutral zone. Since 22 Aug, the disruption of the Armistice Conference was caused only by your violations of the Kaesong neutral zone, thus rendering it impossible for the conference to make progress. Because your side had admitted [Page 996] the incident of violation of the Kaesong neutral area by the UNC on 10 Sep and had expressed your desire to responsibly settle the matter, we immediately proposed to resume conference. The immediate problem, therefore, is to resume the Kaesong Armistice Conference at once and at the meeting to stipulate strict agreement regarding the neutralization of Kaesong area, thus guaranteeing against future recurrence of such incidents of agreement violations. Branch details should not grow out from the main stem; therefore, you should not propose the new problem of changing the conference site. Everybody will easily discover that you deliberately violated the neutrality of the Kaesong area even though this was proposed by yourself. By following your proposal in changing the conference site, how can it be guaranteed that you will not again proceed to violate when you desire to disrupt or break the negotiations, and would not the state of negotiations only become worse? Therefore, the unreasonable demand proposed by you, if it is not to create a threat, then it merely is to create new pretexts to continue to prolong the negotiations. Our sincere and responsible attitude toward the negotiations is known the world over. However, whether or not the negotiations could be immediately resumed and smoothly attain fruitful results, that could not be unilaterally decided by our side alone. It is very obvious that only if your attitude toward the negotiations is as sincere and responsible as ours, and not to have any thwarting branch issues, will the negotiations attain a reasonable conclusion which should have no difficulty whatsoever and which is the anxious hope of all the peoples of the combatant nations.
“Therefore, I once again propose that the delegations of both sides immediately resume the conference at Kaesong. At the first meeting following the resumption of the conference, an appropriate machinery should be established to stipulate the strict agreement concerning the neutralization of the Kaesong area, and to assure its execution in order to benefit the progress of the armistice negotiations. Subsequent to your agreement, our Liaison Officers will meet your Liaison Officers to discuss the matter concerning the resumption of the conference at Kaesong by both delegations. Signed Kim Il Sung, Supreme Commander Korean Peoples Army; Peng Teh Huai, Commander Chinese Peoples Volunteers.”