Additional Remarks Added to the Draft Reply of the Military Commission Approving the 1953 Work Plan of the Central-South Military Region (March 16, 1953) (3) Forward this telegram [1] and the cable from the Headquarters of the Central-South Military Region dated February 23 [2] to all major military regions and to the Party Committees of the Chinese People’s Volunteers; with regard to permitting subordinates to criticize errors committed by their superiors—expressed through the submission of suggestions to higher authorities—please act accordingly.

(4) Transmit this telegram and the Central-South Military Region’s cable of February 23 to the various departments of the Military Commission for study and review, and ensure that any errors identified are corrected.

(5) As for the fact that certain documents issued by the different departments of the Military Commission sometimes contradict one another, this issue not only concerns the departments themselves but also reflects the Military Commission’s past lack of unified coordination in this area. Henceforth, the Military Commission will establish such a mechanism for unified coordination.

Printed according to Mao Zedong’s manuscript.

Notes [1] Refers to the Military Commission’s reply telegram of March 16, 1953, approving the Central-South Military Region’s 1953 work plan.

[2] Refers to a telegram sent on February 23, 1953, by the Headquarters of the Central-South Military Region of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to the Military Commission. The telegram states that at an enlarged meeting of the Central-South Military Region Party Committee held from January 7 to 17, 1953, comrades from the provincial military districts raised several points concerning personnel establishment, arguing that the authorized strength of the provincial military district headquarters was too low. They pointed out that, in addition to its own staff, each provincial military district also oversaw several subordinate units, while ad hoc tasks were continually increasing—such as the mobilization and training of new recruits, the reception of wounded volunteer soldiers, and the resettlement of disabled personnel. Yet there were no specialized agencies responsible for the administration, education, and supply of these groups, nor were such responsibilities included in the existing establishment quotas. It was therefore recommended that these factors be taken into account when determining future staffing levels.