Chapter 31 3. China, North Korea, and the Soviet Union negotiated to remove the last obstacle to the realization of the armistice

While the Volunteers were preparing for anti-landing operations, the Chinese government still hoped to end the Korean War through negotiations, and it has repeatedly expressed this attitude.On November 28, 1952, Zhou Enlai issued a statement on behalf of the Chinese government in the name of Foreign Minister. On December 14, Zhou Enlai also called the Chairman of the Seventh United Nations General Assembly in the name of Foreign Minister, stating that if the United Nations General Assembly is willing to bring peace to North Korea, Then, we should adhere to the principles of the Geneva Conventions and international public law on the repatriation of prisoners of war, and solemnly request the United States to immediately resume the Panmunjom negotiations, and according to the plan proposed by the Soviet government, first of all, in accordance with the draft agreement of the Korean armistice agreement that the two parties have already agreed to, to achieve complete peace between the two warring parties. The issue of the repatriation of all prisoners of war and the peaceful settlement of the Korean issue should be handed over to the "Committee for the Peaceful Settlement of the Korean Question" proposed by the Soviet Union.

On January 20, 1953, Eisenhower became the President of the United States and delivered a State of the Union address on February 2. He continued to advocate a global aggressive policy and clamor for war, and instigated the Chiang Kai-shek clique in Taiwan to attack mainland China.In this regard, at the Fourth Plenary Committee of the First Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference held from February 4th to 7th, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai once again expressed the attitude of the Chinese government.Mao Zedong pointed out in his speech on February 7: We want peace, but as long as U.S. imperialism does not give up its outrageous and unreasonable demands and plots to expand its aggression, the Chinese people's determination is to continue fighting together with the Korean people.This is not because we are belligerent, we are willing to cease fighting immediately and leave the remaining issues to be solved in the future.But U.S. imperialism is not willing to do this, so let’s continue fighting. We will fight for as many years as U.S. imperialism is willing to fight, until U.S. imperialism is willing to stop, until it is willing to fight. Until the time when the Chinese and North Korean people are completely victorious.

On February 4, Zhou Enlai also pointed out in his report at the meeting: The Chinese people love peace, but they are not afraid of war.If the new U.S. government still intends to end the Korean War peacefully, it should unconditionally resume the Panmunjom negotiations.China and the DPRK are prepared to immediately cease the war in accordance with the draft agreement on the Korean armistice agreement that has been reached, and then the "Committee for the Peaceful Settlement of the Korean Issue" will resolve the issue of repatriation of all prisoners of war.Because of this, it can quickly satisfy the aspirations of the people of the war-related countries and the people of the world for an immediate cessation of the current war, and it can also open the way for the peaceful settlement of the Korean issue and other related issues in the Far East.If the new U.S. government still implements the policies of the Truman administration, and still has no intention of resuming the Panmunjom negotiations and continuing and expanding the Korean War, then the Chinese people will continue to struggle in this regard, and they are fully prepared.

At this time, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China analyzed the situation of the Korean armistice negotiations and believed that: the United States could not play any tricks on the Korean battlefield, and the removal of the neutralization of the Taiwan Strait was just a clumsy trick of self-deception; amphibious landings were even more difficult.Eisenhower wanted to scare people, but he didn't know that people didn't frighten him, but frightened himself.But the face has become serious, and it is not the time to turn around here.The United States put aside Panmunjom and transferred to the United Nations. It wanted to use this to suppress us, but the United Nations General Assembly failed to suppress us, and there was not much to do on the battlefield.The United States has not given up on the UN General Assembly, nor has it completely despaired on the battlefield. Therefore, although some countries advocate returning to Panmunjom to try, the United States is still unwilling.If our side formally proposes to unconditionally resume the meeting in Panmunjom, the attitude of the US side will be that the possibility of rejection is high.In this way, it is better to stay still than to move, and let the status quo drag on until the United States is willing to compromise and let it take action.

The attitude that the Chinese government has repeatedly expressed cannot be said to have no influence on the US authorities.Coupled with the adequate preparations made by the Volunteer Army and the People's Army, the US military adventure attempt had to come to naught.Therefore, we had to make a tentative turn on the negotiation issue.Four months ago, it was the U.S. representative who unilaterally announced an indefinite adjournment at the negotiating meeting. At this time, the U.S. wanted to resume the negotiation, but due to its political face, it was not convenient to directly propose it to the DPRK and China.The U.S. authorities ordered Clark, in the name of the commander of the "United Nations Army," to send a letter to Kim Il-sung, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, and Peng Dehuai, the commander of the Chinese People's Volunteers, suggesting that the two sides send liaison officers to negotiate and repatriate the sick and wounded prisoners first.Clarke sent a letter on February 22 recommending "immediate repatriation of those seriously ill and wounded captured persons who are physically fit to travel, in accordance with the provisions of Article 109 of the Geneva Conventions."John Dulles, Secretary of State of the Eisenhower administration, made clear the intention of Clark's proposal in a speech delivered by the American Association of Newspaper Editors on April 18, 1953. He said: "On February 22, we tried to detect the North Korean enemy mentality, quietly suggested the exchange of wounded and sick prisoners of war."

Regarding Clark's suggestion, Mao Zedong and representatives of the Volunteer Army analyzed that, on the one hand, it may be that the United States is exerting political pressure on North Korea and China in order to cooperate with the second half of the United Nations meeting that will start on February 24; It was the Eisenhower administration's attempt to free itself from the shackles of the Truman administration, to gain the initiative, and "a tentative action deliberately turning a corner at Panmunjom."To be on the safe side, "decide whether to reply after watching the development".

The military situation on the battlefield at this time is very favorable to the Volunteers and the People's Army. If they fight for a few more months, the military situation will be even more favorable, which may force the United States to relax on the issue of sending prisoners.But on March 5, Stalin died of illness.The Soviet Union wants to solve its internal problems and does not want to continue the Korean War, and North Korea also has this desire.China sent a delegation headed by Zhou Enlai to Moscow on the 7th to attend Stalin's funeral. From March 11th to 21st, Soviet leaders Malenkov, Beria, Molotov, Khrushchev, etc. discussed the North Korean issue with the Chinese delegation on many occasions, and solicited opinions from the North Korean side. Opinions, it is determined to make a concession on the method of sending prisoners, to realize the Korean armistice as soon as possible, and to confirm that Kim Il-sung and Peng Dehuai will respond to Clark's proposal; then the authoritative representative of the People's Republic of China will issue a statement; then the North Korean government issued a statement supporting A statement by the Chinese government; and later, the Soviet Foreign Ministry issued a statement supporting the attitudes of the Chinese and North Korean governments. On March 19, the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union made a decision to approve the above-mentioned plan to be sent to Mao Zedong and Kim Il Sung.

Zhou Enlai set off to return to Beijing on the 24th. On the 26th, he reported to Mao Zedong on the solution to the Korean armistice issue that he had negotiated with the Soviet leaders in Moscow. On the 27th, Mao Zedong called Kim Il Sung and pointed out: "Now we plan to reply to Clark's letter in the name of Kim and Peng, expressing that we fully agree with the proposal to exchange sick and wounded prisoners of war between the two sides during the war, so as to reopen the door of negotiations, and then Then Beijing, Pyongyang, and Moscow issued statements one after another, intending to make a concession on the issue of repatriating prisoners of war in order to strive for an armistice in North Korea, but they are also prepared to continue the fight if the effort fails.”

On March 28, Kim Il Sung, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, and Peng Dehuai, Commander of the Chinese People's Volunteers, sent a letter to Clark, clarifying their attitude towards Clark's letter of February 22, pointing out: Regarding the issue of giving priority to the repatriation of seriously ill and seriously injured prisoners of war on both sides, the negotiators of the two sides had already reached an agreement on Article 53 of the draft armistice agreement based on humanitarian principles.Only because the Korean armistice negotiations were interrupted, this agreement could not be realized. As a result, the seriously ill and seriously injured prisoners of war on both sides have not been repatriated so far.

Now that you have expressed your intention to implement the provisions of the Geneva Convention on the sick and wounded prisoners of war taken in by both sides, in order to express the same wish, we fully agree with your proposal on the exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of war from both sides during the war.This proposal should be dealt with in accordance with Article 109 of the Geneva Conventions.At the same time, we believe that a reasonable solution to the problem of exchanging sick and wounded prisoners of war between the two sides during the war should lead to a smooth solution to the problem of all prisoners of war, so that the Korean armistice desired by the people of the world can be realized.Therefore, we suggest that the negotiators of both parties should immediately resume the negotiations in Panmunjom, and our liaison officer is also preparing to meet with your liaison officer to agree on a date for resuming the negotiations.

On March 30, Zhou Enlai, in the name of Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the State Administration Council, issued a statement on the issue of Korean armistice negotiations.The statement reads as follows: The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea jointly studied the proposal proposed by General Clark, Commander-in-Chief of the "United Nations Army" on February 22, 1953, regarding the exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of war between the two sides during the war. After the proposal, it was agreed that this issue could be reasonably resolved in accordance with the provisions of Article 109 of the 1949 Geneva Convention.A reasonable solution to the problem of exchanging sick and wounded prisoners of war is obviously of great significance to the smooth settlement of the problem of all prisoners of war.Therefore, we believe that the time has come to resolve the issue of all prisoners of war so as to ensure the cessation of the Korean War and the conclusion of an armistice agreement. The Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea agree that the truce negotiators of the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers should immediately start negotiations with the truce negotiators of the "United Nations Army" on the exchange of sick and wounded prisoners of war during the war, and then seek A comprehensive solution to the prisoner of war problem. The Korean armistice negotiations over the past year have laid the foundation for the realization of the armistice in North Korea.During the negotiations at Kaesong and Panmunjom, representatives of the two sides reached an agreement on all issues except the issue of prisoners of war.First of all, the issue of the cease-fire in North Korea, which is of worldwide concern, has been agreed by the two sides: "The commanders of both sides order and guarantee that all armed forces under their control, including all troops and personnel of the land, sea, and air forces, will completely cease all hostile acts in North Korea. The complete cessation of hostilities will take effect twelve hours after the signing of this armistice agreement." (Paragraph 12 of the draft Korean armistice agreement) Secondly, the two sides have also negotiated various important armistice conditions.On the issue of determining the military demarcation line and the establishment of the demilitarized zone, the two sides have agreed that the line of actual contact between the two sides when the armistice agreement takes effect will be the military demarcation line. The demilitarized zone...serves as a buffer zone to prevent incidents that may lead to a resumption of hostilities." (Draft Paragraph 1) On the issue of monitoring the implementation of the armistice agreement and dealing with violations of the armistice agreement, the two sides have agreed that the North Korean people Five senior officers jointly appointed by the Supreme Commander of the Army and the Commander of the Chinese People's Volunteers and five senior officers appointed by the Commander-in-Chief of the "United Nations Army" form the Military Armistice Committee, which is responsible for supervising the implementation of the Armistice Agreement, including the Commission for the Repatriation of Prisoners of War Supervision and supervision of the Armistice Agreement and the handling of any violations of the Armistice Agreement (paragraphs 19, 20, 24, 25, and 56 of the draft); Poland and Czechoslovakia jointly nominated by the members of the neutral country supervisory committee composed of two senior military officers nominated by the commander-in-chief of the "United Nations Army" as representatives and Sweden and Switzerland nominated by the commander-in-chief of the "United Nations Army" as representatives, and equipped with the above-mentioned Military officers sent by various countries formed a neutral country inspection team, stationed in Sinuiju, Chongjin, Xingnam, Manpo, Sinanju in North Korea and Incheon, Daegu, Busan, Gangneung and Gunsan in South Korea. Supervise and inspect the implementation by both parties of the terms of the cessation of reinforcements of military personnel and combat aircraft, armored vehicles, weapons, and ammunition from outside North Korea (except those that allow rotation and replacement under the terms), and obtain reports of violations outside the demilitarized zone Special observations and inspections shall be conducted at the locations of the Armistice Agreement incidents to ensure the stability of the military armistice (paragraphs 36, 37, 40, 41, 42, and 43 of the draft).In addition, the two sides also agreed that "the military commanders of both sides hereby propose to the governments of the two sides concerned that within three months after the armistice agreement is signed and becomes effective, representatives will be dispatched to hold a high-level political meeting of the two sides to discuss the withdrawal of all foreign troops from North Korea and peace Solve the North Korea issue and other issues." (Article 60 of the draft) As mentioned above, in the Korean armistice negotiations, there was only one issue of prisoners of war that stood in the way of the Korean armistice.Moreover, with regard to the issue of prisoners of war, apart from the issue of the repatriation of prisoners of war, the two sides have also reached an agreement on all the provisions concerning the arrangement of prisoners of war in the draft armistice agreement.If the Korean armistice negotiations had not been interrupted for more than five months, a solution to the repatriation of prisoners of war might have been found. Now that the "United Nations Army" has proposed to resolve the issue of exchanging sick and wounded prisoners of war during the war in accordance with the provisions of Article 109 of the Geneva Convention, we believe that with the reasonable settlement of the problem of sick and wounded prisoners of war, as long as both sides have genuine mutual The sincerity of making concessions to facilitate the Korean armistice and the smooth resolution of all the prisoners of war issues are completely deserved. With regard to the issue of prisoners of war, the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have always believed, and still believe that, only in accordance with the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Convention, especially the provisions of Article 118 of the Convention, after the armistice The immediate release and repatriation of the prisoners of war without delay would be the reasonable solution.However, considering that the differences between the two parties on this issue are currently the only obstacle to the achievement of the Korean armistice, and in order to satisfy the peaceful wishes of the people of the world, the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea adhere to the consistent peace policy and make consistent efforts. In order to quickly realize the Korean armistice, strive for a peaceful solution to the Korean issue, and maintain and consolidate world peace, we are prepared to take steps to eliminate differences on this issue in order to promote the Korean armistice.For this purpose, the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea proposed that the negotiating parties should guarantee the immediate repatriation of all prisoners of war in their custody who insist on repatriation after the armistice, and transfer the remaining prisoners of war to neutral countries to ensure their repatriation a just solution to the problem. It must be pointed out that our proposal does not mean abandoning the principle of Article 118 of the Geneva Convention that prisoners of war shall be released and repatriated without delay after the armistice, nor is it an acknowledgment of what the "United Nations Army" said The so-called refusal to repatriate people is only because the end of the bloody war in Korea and the peaceful settlement of the Korean issue are related to the peace and security of the people in the Far East and the world, so we take this new step, and we are prepared to put our hearts under the intimidation and oppression of the other side. Our captives who were afraid and afraid to go home suggested that they should be handed over to a neutral country after the armistice, and that they should be explained by relevant parties to ensure that their repatriation issue could be resolved fairly and would not hinder the realization of the armistice in North Korea. We believe that this new step taken by the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to end the Korean War is fully in the vital interests of the peoples on both sides who have their children fighting in Korea, and it is also fully in line with the people of the world fundamental interests.If the "United Nations Army" is sincere in seeking peace, our proposal should be acceptable. Zhou Enlai explained this statement at the 173rd meeting of the Government Affairs Council on April 3, pointing out that the armistice negotiations have been going on for almost two years.The United States adopts a policy of procrastination in the negotiations, negotiating whatever is beneficial to it, and procrastinating if it is unfavorable.And we have consistently adhered to the policy of peacefully resolving the North Korean issue in all negotiations.Because the US insists on its principle of "voluntary repatriation" arbitrarily and unreasonably, we cannot compromise with him.When he bluffs and scares people, we must resolutely push back.It is right for us to stick to the principle, but we can’t be stagnant, so we gave up a step in time and divided it into two steps to achieve it.The prisoner repatriation plan we proposed is different from the American plan and the Indian plan. Our plan is to hand over to a neutral country.Under such circumstances, the resumption of negotiations is decided, and the possibility of ending the war is greatly enhanced, but the possibility of fighting still exists.We still have two words, we strive for peace, but we are not afraid of war. Zhou Enlai's statement, under the premise of adhering to the principle of repatriating all prisoners of war, showed flexibility in the way of repatriation, proposing to repatriate all prisoners of war who insisted on direct repatriation immediately after the armistice, and transfer the remaining prisoners of war to a neutral country to ensure that the issue of their repatriation is resolved. Fair settlement.This removed the last obstacle to achieving a Korean armistice and broke the deadlock between the two sides over the repatriation of prisoners of war. On March 31, Kim Il Sung issued a statement fully supporting Zhou Enlai's proposal. On April 1, Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov issued a statement supporting the statements of Zhou Enlai and Kim Il Sung. Zhou Enlai's proposal was supported by international public opinion including Britain and France.The United States has also stepped down. On April 20, the negotiating parties began to exchange sick and wounded prisoners of war. On April 26, the truce negotiations, which had been unilaterally interrupted by the United States for six months, resumed.The Volunteer Army used Ding Guoyu to replace Bian Zhangwu and Chai Chengwen to replace Xie Fang as negotiators.