795.00/7–251: Telegram
The Commander in Chief, Far East (Ridgway) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff
operational immediate
CX 66183. Several versions of a reply to my msg to the Commander-in-Chief, Communist forces in Korea, have been recd. In order to insure coordination, I recommend that the following be agreed upon as the official reply and that the JCS confirm to me that in their deliberations they will use this version:
“Peking—Here is important news from the Korean front. After consultations held today between General Kim Il Sung, Commander-in-Chief of the Korean Army,1 and General Peng Te-Huai, Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Peoples Volunteers, a joint notice was sent to General Ridgway, Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations forces, in reply to the broadcast msg from General Ridgway on June 30 in which he expressed willingness to dispatch delegates to hold cease-fire talks with our delegates. The contents of the notice are as follows:
“General Ridgway, Commander-in-Chief of United Nations forces:
“Your broadcast msg of June 30, regarding peace talks, has been recd. We are authorized to tell you that we agree to suspend military activities and to hold peace negotiations, and that our delegates will meet with yours.
“We suggest, in regard to the place for holding talks, that such talks be held at Kaesong, on the 38th parallel.
“If you agree to this, our delegates will be prepared to meet your delegates between July 10 and 15, 1951.
“Signed Kim Il Sung, Commander-in-Chief of the Korean Peoples Army, and Peng Te-Huai, Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Peoples Volunteers.”
My recommended reaction to this response will be forwarded soonest.
- Marshal Kim Il Sung was also Prime Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.↩