(December 28, 1952)
Comrades Chen Yun, Bo Yibo, Zeng Shan, and Jia Tuofu (Four Comrades):

Recently, the State Council, the Central Military Commission, and the Cultural Committee have all adopted the practice of issuing meeting briefs, which has proved very useful. These briefs are extremely simple and clear, enabling one to grasp the main points of a meeting at a glance—more effective, in fact, than lengthy reports. I would like you to consider whether this approach could be emulated: first issue such briefs, reserving the longer reports for later; even at central meetings, much of the oral reporting could thereby be dispensed with.

Mao Zedong
December 28

Shangkun dictated and reviewed. Please ask Shangkun to convene the directors of the various general offices to jointly formulate a procedure for issuing meeting briefs.

[1] This note was written on the briefing document for the Party Group Meeting of the Cultural Education Committee of the State Council, held on December 23, 1952.
[2]
Chen Yun was then Vice Premier of the State Council and Director of the State Council’s Finance and Economic Commission. Bo Yibo was then Deputy Director of the State Council’s Finance and Economic Commission and Minister of Finance. Zeng Shan and Jia Tuofu were both serving as Deputy Directors of the State Council’s Finance and Economic Commission at the time.
[3]
Shangkun refers to Yang Shangkun, who at that time was Director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee.