Speech to Cadres Departing for the Front Line[1]

(October 25, 1944)

The situation in China has undergone tremendous changes, and the changes from April and May of this year to the present have been even greater. The Kuomintang opposes the Communist Party, is not active in resisting Japan, is corrupt and degenerate, and has not a shred of hope left—no hope politically, militarily, or economically. For the Chinese people to achieve liberation and for China to be saved, only the Communist Party has the means; the people of the whole nation all look up to us. Our policy toward the Kuomintang, ever since the cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, has been a policy of reform, not one of overthrowing it, because the Japanese are still before us. The current slogans are to reorganize the government and to reorganize the supreme command. These slogans are not reformist but revolutionary in nature. We must develop our own strength to the fullest extent; since the War of Resistance began, this has been the policy of the Central Committee. Judging from the present environment, there is still a need for great development—Guangdong, Hunan, and Henan can all undergo great development.

[1] Part one of this text is an excerpt from Mao Zedong’s speech on the current situation delivered to cadres departing for the front line at the Central Party School Auditorium of the CPC Central Committee; part two is an excerpt from Mao Zedong’s speech on the issue of unity; part three is an excerpt from Mao Zedong’s speech on the issues of cadre examination and counter-espionage; part four is an excerpt from Mao Zedong’s concluding speech.

II

The Communist Party must unite personages from all social strata. Communists should be like willow trees—wherever they are planted, they can take root and grow. Willow trees also have a shortcoming: they tend to bend with the wind. Therefore, we must also learn from the pine tree, which stands upright and full of vigor. The willow tree embodies flexibility, while the pine tree embodies principle. The willow tree is amiable, and the pine tree is reliable. We Communists must be both amiable and reliable. Within the Party, we must also strengthen unity. Mountain-stronghold mentality has only been pointed out today; not pointing it out earlier is my responsibility.

III

Many problems have arisen in the examination of cadres and counter-espionage work, especially excesses during the "Emergency Rescue Campaign." Last year, the "Emergency Rescue Campaign" was carried out for over ten days, and we immediately brought it to a halt. The basic errors of the "Emergency Rescue Campaign" lay in the lack of investigation and research and the lack of differentiated treatment. The "Emergency Rescue Campaign" had errors—the error was in exaggerating the scope of the problem—but it cannot be said that the line was wrong.

IV

The future is bright, but there are also difficulties. What decides China’s affairs is the Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party. What I have spoken about above is, in essence, one principle: serve the Chinese people and work for the liberation of the Chinese nation!