Grasping Reality on TypePad, by Brad DeLong

Adam Yang: The Long Road to the Korean War Armistice: "The communists were adamant about the unconditional return of all their men.... Despite China’s drastic losses on the battlefield, Mao believed that continuing the war would be politically useful for the newly formed Communist China. During a meeting with the Joseph Stalin in August of 1952, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai said that fighting the United States to a draw increased their global prestige, aided in unification, and provided their army with invaluable combat experience.... However, China’s continued involvement with North Korea was conditioned upon gaining financial support from the Soviet Union.... On March 5, Joseph Stalin died.... At Stalin’s funeral, the less-hawkish Malenkov... stat[ed] international disputes could be 'settled peacefully on the basis of mutual agreement between the countries concerned'.... On March 28, Zhou Enlai notified the UN that China and North Korea were ready to resume negotiations at Panmunjom. They also agreed to the U.S. desire for a neutral commission to manage POWs who did not wish to repatriate. Mao and General Peng... wanted to preserve... the narrative that describes how a newly formed Communist China was able to beat back great Western powers...