High-Level Cadre Meeting and the Issue of Cadre Allocation [1]
(November 10, 1953)

Comrade Dehuai:

The military meeting [2] is about to convene. Are you planning to prepare a written report? If so, you should start now. I believe it would be best to have a concise and to-the-point written report (which can be elaborated upon during the presentation), so that it can be accurately conveyed by others and avoid miscommunication. It would also make discussions during the meeting clearer and more organized. If you do not have the time to write it, you can ask Xiao Xiangrong [3] to draft it according to your views. Please decide at your discretion.

The dissatisfaction with our cadre allocation is not merely the opinion of the comrade who wrote the letter; I estimate that quite a number of people hold such views. I believe that, in general, our cadre allocation has been correct, and those dissatisfied are few. However, there may be some comrades from the Second and Fourth Front Armies who should have been promoted but were not. They may feel that too many people from the First Front Army have been promoted, while those from the Second and Fourth Front Armies have been promoted too few and have not been given adequate consideration. This deserves attention. Please consult with Lai Chuanzhu [4], Xu Liqing [1], Xiao Hua [2], and Gan Siqi [3] on this matter. You may show them the anonymous letter and ask them to pay attention to this issue, seek their opinions, and make improvements regarding the shortcomings in this area.

At the end of the military meeting, there should be a period for people to comment on the work of the Military Commission over the past few years. All grievances and dissatisfaction from below regarding the Military Commission and its various departments should be fully expressed, and then analyzed and criticized, with the aim of clarifying issues and unifying thinking. This is extremely necessary. I estimate that the outcome of doing so will be positive and will not harm any comrades. If you agree, this issue should be included in the agenda and mentioned in your report. I recall that the notice convening the Military Commission meeting already included the intention to review past work. If this is to be done, please instruct comrades in all departments to prepare themselves mentally.

Mao Zedong
November 10

[1] This is a letter written by Mao Zedong to Peng Dehuai, Vice Chairman of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People’s Government.
[2] Refers to the National Military System Party High-Level Cadre Meeting held from December 7, 1953, to January 26, 1954.
[3] Xiao Xiangrong, then Director of the General Office of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People’s Government.
[4] Lai Chuanzhu, then Deputy Director of the General Cadre Management Department of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People’s Government.

[1] Xu Liqing, then Deputy Director of the General Cadre Management Department of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People’s Government.
[2] Xiao Hua, then Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People’s Government.
[3] Gan Siqi, then Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the People’s Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People’s Government.

Peng Dehuai’s request for instructions to Mao Zedong on convening the National Military System Party High-Level Cadre Meeting.

Photographic material
In 1953, during the National Military System Party High-Level Cadre Meeting, Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai at Zhongnanhai.
In 1953, Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai at Zhongnanhai.