All Large-Scale Actions to Sabotage
Railroads Must Come to a Halt
(June 4, 1947)
To the leaders of all bureaus:1
In conducting operations at present our army has completely switched from a
strategic defense to a strategic counteroffensive. In general, the railroads that had
to be destroyed in the past no longer must be destroyed. On the contrary, if we do
not stop sabotaging the railroads now, we will be making a mistake. Therefore,
from now on all large-scale actions to sabotage railroads should be halted, except
for instances during battle in which a partial tactical sabotage may still be applied
due to certain tactical needs. Wherever our army goes we should afford protection to all railway personnel and workers, and to tracks, ties, roadbeds, bridges,
culverts, and railway station installations, and we should advise the people to
afford such protection as well. All damage of a tactical nature that is necessitated
by battle should be repaired as quickly as possible once the enemy has been annihilated and the place in question has been occupied. In addition, the above principles should apply to all ordinary buildings, both public and private, all roads,
bridges, mines, factories, machines, and both military and civilian resources, so
that, except in cases of tactical necessity, an order prohibiting sabotage should
be reissued across the board; even what may temporarily be used by the enemy
should not be sabotaged. We hope you will convey to your subordinates this order
that is to be followed strictly.
The Central Committee
The source of this text is Mao Zedong junshi wenji, Vol. 4, pp. 97–98, where it is reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.

--- Notes

1.  Mao Zedong drafted this telegram on behalf of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719511-316