Remarks on the Issuance of the Guiding Instructions of the Political Department of the South China Military Region Concerning the Unification and Transformation of Intellectuals (December 23, 1951)

Comrade Luo Ronghuan [1]: This document [2] is very good. I propose: (1) It should be printed and distributed to the political departments of all major military regions and to political departments at all levels for implementation by analogy; (2) It should be published in the publications of the General Political Department. Mao Zedong December 23, 1951

Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] Luo Ronghuan was then Director of the General Political Department of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission. [2] Refers to the instructions issued on December 13, 1951, by the Political Department of the South China Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army concerning the unification and transformation of intellectuals. The instructions analyzed the achievements and shortcomings in the army’s implementation of the Party’s policy toward intellectuals over the past two years, clearly stating that, in order to further strengthen the unity between workers, peasants, and intellectuals within the armed forces, to reinforce the organizational foundation for the modernization of our army, and to mobilize all intellectual personnel in the army to strive for the realization of the army’s cultural and educational tasks, it is necessary to carry out a broad and practical education on the Party’s policy toward intellectuals throughout the Party and the entire army, particularly among all cadres. (1) Great importance should be attached to uniting with intellectuals, showing them warm care and treating them as one of the Party’s precious assets; attention should be paid to the difficulties they face in their daily lives, and assistance should be provided to effectively resolve these problems. Everyone should be educated to understand that revolutionary intellectuals have always been an important factor in the Chinese revolution. Judging from the past, present, and especially the future development of our army, intellectuals will continue to play an even more significant role. Therefore, uniting with, winning over, and transforming intellectuals has been the Party’s consistent policy. Anyone who adopts a negative or indifferent attitude toward intellectuals is violating the Party’s policy. (2) Education and reformation of intellectuals should be actively strengthened, and their erroneous tendencies—stemming from petty-bourgeois sentiments—to look down upon workers and peasants and to undervalue concrete practice must be dealt with seriously and patiently through education. (3) Intellectuals should be boldly employed. Those intellectuals who have already been assigned to specific posts must be given both responsibilities and authority so that they may be tested in actual work. Particularly outstanding intellectuals should be actively cultivated, boldly promoted and utilized, and properly graded in accordance with their merits.