To the Central Secretariat:

Comrades of the Standing Committee of the Central Secretariat:

Due to a worsening brain ailment, I must request two weeks' leave to relocate to Shaozhou for recuperation. All matters of the Propaganda Department are hereby handed over to Comrade Shen Yanbing[2] for handling. I specially report this, and beg your kind attention.

Mao Zedong

February 14

[1] The envelope of this letter bears the words: "To Mr. Lin Boqu of the Central Secretariat, for report to the Central Committee." Mao Zedong was then serving as Acting Director of the Propaganda Department of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Nationalist Party.

[2] Shen Yanbing was then serving as Secretary of the Propaganda Department of the Central Executive Committee of the Chinese Nationalist Party. According to Shen Yanbing's recollections, Mao Zedong's leave at that time was for the purpose of going to Shaoguan to investigate the peasant movement.

Manuscript of Mao Zedong's telegram to the Central Secretariat concerning the work of the Nationalist Party Central Propaganda Department.