Letter to Su Yu
(August 8, 1950)

Source: Shuxin, p. 384.

According to the source, Su Yu (b. 1907) was at the time of this letter vice-chairma
the East China Military Region and mayor of Nanjing Municipality. Su joined}
Communist Youth League in 1926 and the CPC in 1927, As an officer in the Inde
dent Regiment of the Fourth Army (Nationalist) under Ye Ting in 1927 he took part
the Nanchang Uprising. Afterward he joined Zhu De and Mao at Jinggangshan, [nt
first half of the 1930s he wes active in guerrilla fighting in the Fujian region, In?

he became a commander of a division of the New Fourth Army and in 194], the &
munder of the First Division of the New Fourth Army, In 1948, after the Xuait
Pangfu battle, he became the deputy commander of the reorganized Second FA

Army, From 1949 to 1958, he continued ta hold important positions in the field om
manders structure of the PLA. especially as the East China region commander

http://dztsg:

JULY — SEPTEMBER 1950 / 125

eulur responsibilities for coustal defense against the KMT forces in Taiwan. He
port pose Wo the rank of chief-of-staff of the PLA. In 1958 he became, under Lin Biao, a

ry minister of defense, For more biographical information on Su, see Zhonggong
ernie iu, pp. 708-769, and D. Klein and A. Clark, eds. (1971), U, pp. 774-778.

Comrade Su Yur oe
Your letter brought to me by Comrade Luo Ruiging’ has been received. |
am very much concemed about the fact that your illness is still grave. Your
pew post is not a Very urgent one; you may devote yourself, withoul worrying
shoul it, (© convalescing until your health is completely restored. As for the
ace for resting and convalescence. if Qingdao appears to be appropriate you
should stay in Qingdao; if not, then come to Beijing. Please see which you
like better.
My best regards,
Mao Zedong
August 8

Note

{. According to the source, Lina (1906-1978) was at the time of this better Minister of Public
Security of the Central People's Government, Luo joined the CPC in 1926 and was with Zhu De
and Mao at Jinggangshan. in 1930 he began a long carcer as a political officer in the communtst
armed forces, In 1940 he was the general director of the Political Department of the Eighth Route
Amy. Atter 1949 he served the Central People's Government mainly in the National Defense
Council and in the Ministry of Public Security, During the Cultural Revolution he was urrested
ded publicly tied as a supporrer of Liv Shangt He attempted suicide in 1966, but he survived amt
Was teleased in 1975, In 1977 he was rehabilitated und in September 1977 regained a high posi-flor io the Military Conumission of the Central Committees of the CPC, For more biegraptrical
MiDrmation oo Lae, see Zhurtegone renaming la, pp. 1059-1060 and D, Klein and A, Clark, eds.
7h), t, pp, 642-045