Letter to Dong Biwu

(December 4, 1951)

Comrade Biwu:

I consider the content of your letter to Comrade Rao Shushi to be correct. It may be copied and distributed to the responsible comrades of all central bureaus outside East China for their perusal, so as to draw their attention to this matter.

Mao Zedong
December 4

It may be copied and distributed together with this letter of yours and the few words of my reply to you.

Postscript

Printed based on a typeset copy preserved in the Central Archives.
Included in *Selected Letters of Mao Zedong*.

Notes

--- Notes

〔1〕 Dong Biwu, then Vice Premier of the Government Administration Council and Director of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee.


〔2〕 Refers to Dong Biwu’s letter of October 18, 1951, to Rao Shushi, First Secretary of the East China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, concerning the issue of building political power at the county and township levels. In the letter, Dong Biwu pointed out that strengthening the work of lower-level organs of political power can and should be carried out under the leadership of higher-level organs of political power; the leadership of Party committees at all levels over organs of political power at corresponding levels should be realized through Party members working in those organs. Where there are three or more Party members, a Party group should be formed to ensure Party leadership. It is not good for the Party to directly handle the work of organs of political power. For details, see *Selected Works of Dong Biwu* (People’s Publishing House, 1st edition, year month), pp. 13–3.


〔3〕 Refers to Dong Biwu’s letter of December 3, 1951, to Mao Zedong concerning the issue of building political power at the county and township levels. The letter explains the background of his October 18, 1951, letter to Rao Shushi on the same issue and puts forward three opinions on the matter: 1. The Party should preferably lead the establishment of lower-level organs of political power through higher-level organs of political power; 2. In the work of building political power at the county and township levels, the county level is currently the key; 3. Building political power at the county and township levels is a major undertaking requiring full organizational and ideological preparation. For details, see *Selected Works of Dong Biwu* (People’s Publishing House, 1st edition, March 1985), pp. 3ﾣﾱ–312.