The Situation of the Fourth Front Red Army and the Central Committee’s Policy[1]

(October 16, 1936)

The Fourth Front Army supports the Central Committee with sincerity. There should be a consolidation of the Fourth Front Army, and it should be carried out through Zhang Guotao, so that it will proceed more smoothly. We should help him, so that his progress can be smoother, and through him, the Fourth Front Army can be properly consolidated. How should the work be done? First, appoint him as the frontline commander; second, Comrade Zhang Hao (Lin Yuying)’s mission is primarily to achieve unity and solidarity on the political front, and to raise the political, military, and cultural level of the Fourth Front Army one step higher. Regarding the question of the nature and degree of Guotao’s past errors, in principle, it is not to be discussed. But if it is brought up, it should be pointed out: this error is a serious political and organizational error; on the other hand, it should be pointed out that it is an individual error, of an opportunist nature (insufficient estimation of the Central Committee’s line), but not an error of the entire line. Because in terms of his entire history, it is still only an individual error in a certain period. Another point: if he does not commit such serious errors again in the future, this error may not necessarily be raised in the future; if such errors continue to occur, then a struggle should be waged against them.

[1] On October 16, 1936, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held a meeting. Mao Zedong, Luo Fu (Zhang Wentian), Zhou Enlai, Bo Gu (Qin Bangxian), Lin Yuying (Zhang Hao), and others attended the meeting. The meeting discussed the situation of the Fourth Front Red Army and the Central Committee’s policy in connection with Lin Yuying’s mission to the Fourth Front Red Army. This is part of Mao Zedong’s speech at the meeting.