Letter to Chen Jinkun1
(November 18, 1947)
Comrade Jinkun:
I have received your letter of October 8. Your observations about the general trends at home and abroad are correct. It is indeed as you say: There will
not be a second direction, the rate of advance is very fast, and there will be no
delays without resolution. However, it seems it would be most beneficial for us
to make farsighted plans, prepare for every possible difficulty, exhibit a spirit of
self-reliance, and prepare to devote considerable time. I cannot help but admire
and feel heartened by the great pains you and various comrades have been taking
with the draft constitution. However, the time is not yet quite right to publicize it,
and its content should be considered carefully with an eye to the future. The basic
principle should be the democratic dictatorship of workers and peasants (that is,
the basic principle pointed out in my writings “On New Democracy” and “On
Coalition Government”), as comrades Wang [Ming] and Xie [Juezai]2 can explain
to you at length in person. I suffer from minor illnesses at times, but overall, I am
still in fairly good health, so do not worry about me. I hope you will take very
good care of yourself in this cold weather. Best wishes! Stay safe and sound! And
please give my regards to Mrs. Chen and the children!
Mao Zedong
P.S. Jiang Qing also sends her best wishes to the whole family!
Our source for this letter is Mao Zedong shuxin xuanji, pp. 288–89, where it is reproduced from Mao’s handwritten manuscript preserved in the Central Archives.

--- Notes

1.  Chen Jinkun was a member of the Legal Committee of the Central Committee of the
Chinese Communist Party.

2.  Wang Ming, born Chen Shaoyu, was director of the Legal Committee. Xie Juezai
was one of the persons in charge of the Legal Committee.
DOI:  10.4324/9781315719436-56