Comments on Hu Qiaomu’s [1] Letter Requesting Instructions on Several Formulations in His Article “Thirty Years of the Communist Party of China” [2] (June 21, 1951) Chairman: The People’s Daily has requested an additional page to be printed tomorrow, containing the entire article at once.
All other pages have already been typeset.
We would appreciate it if you could review the revised proofsheet immediately and return it before noon.
Regarding Chen Duxiu, the original text describes him as “the most influential Marxist propagandist and · · · · one of the founders of the Party.”
It is proposed to revise this to “a highly influential socialist propagandist and one of the founders of the Party.”
Would this be more appropriate? (Yes.) · · · “Facts have proven that Comrade Mao Zedong’s strategy of surrounding the cities from the countryside has achieved complete victory.”
Here, the term “strategy” lacks clarity.
It is suggested to replace it with “principle,” “path,” “tactic,” or “policy.”
Which option would be preferable? (“Policy” is best.)
When discussing the Rectification Movement, the text states: “The Party seized this relatively stable period.”
However, earlier it is mentioned that this was also the most brutal and intense phase of enemy sweeps, creating a contradiction.
Could we revise it to read: “Taking advantage of a period when the situation was less volatile, the Party launched a party-wide campaign of Marxist–Leninist education, something that had previously been difficult to carry out on a large scale during times of rapid and turbulent war and revolution.” (This is good.)
There are differing accounts regarding the number of delegates to the First National Congress: some say thirteen, while Li Da claims twelve, arguing that Bao Huisheng was not a delegate.
Which version is correct? (It was twelve.)
Please provide your guidance on these points.
Respectfully submitted!
Hu Qiaomu June 21 Based on the original document preserved in the Central Archives.
Notes [1] Hu Qiaomu was at that time Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and Director-General of the General Administration of Press and Publication of the Central People’s Government. [2] The text printed in Song typeface within parentheses represents Mao Zedong’s comments. [3] Refers to Hu Qiaomu’s article “Thirty Years of the Communist Party of China,” published in the People’s Daily on June 22, 1951.