Commentary on the Tibet Work Committee's Self-Criticism Regarding the Establishment of the Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Without Reporting to the Central Committee[1]
(December 29, 1952)

For Comrade Deng Xiaoping[2] to read, and to be sent to Comrade Li Weihan[3]:

According to past regulations of the Central Committee, all important matters of our Party committee and army related to the Tibetan people and the Tibetan government must be reported to the Central Committee for handling, and are not to be handled by the Southwest; the Tibet Work Committee and the Military Region have in some matters not abided by this regulation. Please issue another directive citing the original text of the regulation[4].

Mao Zedong
December 29

Published according to the manuscript.

Notes

[1] The self-criticism submitted by the CCP Tibet Work Committee to the Central Committee and the Southwest Bureau on December 24, 1952, stated: The Tibet Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry was established after the Tibet Work Committee reported to the Southwest Bureau on October 29, 1952, and received approval from the Southwest Bureau on November 6 of the same year. "Due to our negligence, we only reported to the Southwest Bureau and not to the Central Committee, which was inappropriate."
[2] Deng Xiaoping was at that time Vice Premier of the Government Administration Council and First Secretary of the Southwest Bureau of the CCP Central Committee.
[3] Li Weihan was at that time Director of the United Front Work Department of the CCP Central Committee and Chairman of the Nationalities Affairs Commission of the Central People's Government.
[4] Refers to the regulation made in the directive of the CCP Central Committee on April 8, 1952, concerning the principle that all negotiations and handling of important issues with the Tibetan side are to be resolved by the Central Committee, which states: "Agree with the Southwest Bureau's opinion that the Lhasa disturbance incident be handled directly by the Central Committee. The Central Committee has also decided that henceforth, all negotiations, talks, and handling of political, military, diplomatic, trade, religious, cultural, and other matters arising between our side and the Tibetan side shall be resolved by the Central Committee, and the Tibet Work Committee shall report directly to the Central Committee, while simultaneously informing the Southwest Bureau. The Southwest Bureau shall submit its opinions on these matters to the Central Committee. Internal affairs of the Party and military region in Tibet, including organization, deployment, consolidation and training, production, construction, support, and other such items, shall still be under the charge of the Southwest Bureau and the Southwest Military Region. The Tibet Work Committee, for all matters involving negotiations with the Tibetan side and diplomatic matters with countries such as India and Nepal, must report and request instructions for each matter before it can be handled."