Order on Selecting and Transferring Students to Study Radio Communications[1]

(January 28, 1931)

It has been half a month since we established the radio unit. During this period of observation, the enemy telegrams intercepted by our radio receivers have indeed provided considerable assistance in detecting enemy positions and movements. We are now actively preparing to expand the radio unit, which is necessary for the various army corps and armies for the following reasons:

(1) To facilitate flexible communications between our Central Area and other special areas, and between the First and Third Army Corps and other army corps of the Red Army.

(2) To enable us to more easily obtain political news from outside and even from abroad.

(3) To make communications among our various armies closer.

(4) To further enable us to blockade enemy radio stations and reconnoiter their movements.

Therefore, we require each department to select and transfer promising youth in the following numbers to the General Headquarters radio unit for training:

(1) General Headquarters: two persons.

(2) Secretariat of the Revolutionary Military Commission of the Chinese Soviet Central Committee:[2] three persons.

(3) Third Army Corps: three persons.

(4) Third, Fourth, and Twelfth Armies: two persons each.

The above totals fourteen persons (it would be even better if each department can send more).

The conditions for students studying radio communications are as follows:

(1) Age: between 14 and 23 years old.

(2) Class origin: family economic status must be worker, hired farmhand, poor peasant, or one who has participated in the struggle.

(3) Gender: both men and women are accepted.

(4) Educational level: must have graduated from higher primary school or possess an equivalent level; at minimum, must have a rough knowledge of characters and some general knowledge.

(5) Character: intelligent, lively, loyal, eager to learn, and free from hooligan habits.

(6) Duration of study: tentatively set at four months.

(7) Curriculum: study both machine operation and telegraphy.

Upon receiving this order, each department must immediately select and send promising youth for training in accordance with the above conditions and numbers. It must be clearly recognized that radio work is more important than any partial technical work. The selected personnel must be sent to our headquarters for examination before February 1 to determine whether they are qualified; those who are unqualified will still be sent back. It is hoped that each department will appreciate the importance of this work and transfer personnel from among current working cadres or technical personnel to meet the urgent need. This is of the utmost importance.

By order.

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[1] This is an order of the General Headquarters of the First Front Army of the Red Army, issued in the names of Mao Zedong and Zhu De.

[2] The Revolutionary Military Commission of the Chinese Soviet Central Committee refers to the Central Revolutionary Military Commission of the Chinese Soviet Republic. Established in January 1931, it was under the leadership of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Areas of the CPC and was responsible for commanding the national Red Army, with Xiang Ying serving as chairman of the commission. After the establishment of the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic in November of the same year, the Central Revolutionary Military Commission of the Chinese Soviet Republic was formally established.