Comrade Xiang Ying:

The soldier’s textbook is very well written. I have read Lessons One, Two, and Four and think they can be sent to press immediately. As for Lesson Three, please bring it to me so that we can review and revise it. It is essential to distinguish between the big bourgeoisie and the national bourgeoisie; between the pro-Japanese faction within the big bourgeoisie and the non-pro-Japanese (i.e., Anglo-American) faction; and between the large landowners and the small and medium-sized landlords, as well as the enlightened gentry. In a book currently at the printing stage under the Propaganda Department, I have already revised Chapter Two of “The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party” to address this very point. Kindly request a copy from Comrade ×× for your perusal. In Lesson Three, the focus should primarily be on the respective attitudes of the different classes toward the War of Resistance, as this is what gives the lesson practical relevance. Please also bear this in mind.

As for Lesson Twenty-Five, I will show it to you in a few days’ time.

When I wrote Chapter Two of “The Chinese Revolution and the Chinese Communist Party” last December, we were still in the first few months of the second anti-Communist upsurge. At that time, it was not yet clearly apparent whether the national bourgeoisie and the enlightened gentry differed in their stance from the big bourgeoisie and the large landowners. By March of this year, however, such differences had become evident. For further reference, please consult my discussion on strategic issues in the united front, dated March 11.