Letter to Liu Shaoqi and Others
(September 25, 1951)

Liu, Zhou, Hu Qiaomu, Shangkun[1]:

These four documents[2], together with one letter from the Central Committee[3], make five items in total. Please ask Shangkun to print them together and distribute them to all Central Bureaus, and have them forward these to the Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and regions; at the same time, distribute them to responsible comrades of all departments of the Central Committee and the Military Commission, as well as to all Party groups of the Central Government.

Please ask Comrade Qiaomu to look them over once.

If Liu and Zhou have time, they may take a look. If not, it is also fine not to read them.

The letter written by Shangkun itself failed to follow that directive of the Central Committee[4]; it has many shortcomings, which I have already revised. Please take note.

Mao Zedong
September 25

[1] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Hu Qiaomu was then Deputy Minister of the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee. Shangkun, i.e., Yang Shangkun, was then Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.
[2] Refers to the four documents: the report of the North China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee dated May 10, 1951, on the textual shortcomings in documents and telegrams and future measures; the comprehensive report of the General Office of the East China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee dated May 15, 1951, on correcting textual shortcomings in documents, telegrams, etc.; the report of the General Office of the Southwest Bureau of the CPC Central Committee dated June 27, 1951, on examining textual shortcomings in telegrams, reports, directives, decisions, etc.; and the preliminary inspection report of the General Office of the Northeast Bureau of the CPC Central Committee dated August 10, 1951, on textual shortcomings in documents, telegrams, etc.
[3] Refers to the letter of the CPC Central Committee dated September 25, 1951, to all Central Bureaus, to be forwarded to sub-bureaus and Party committees of provinces, municipalities, and regions, etc., concerning the forwarding of the situation reports from the North China Bureau and three other units on implementing the Central Committee's directive on correcting textual shortcomings.
[4] Refers to the directive of the CPC Central Committee dated February 1, 1951, on correcting textual shortcomings in telegrams, reports, directives, decisions, etc.