(November 18, 1954)
Comrades Liu, Zhou, Li, Chen, Luo, and Tao Zhu (I):
The People’s Daily of November 13 and 14 published translations of Chapter 22 from the Soviet Union’s new Textbook of Political Economy. Please take a look at it; it clearly demonstrates that the claim that “socialist economic laws cannot exist until socialism has been wholly or largely built” is erroneous.
Mao Zedong
November 18
Please ask Comrade Chen Boda to review the articles in New Construction and Study concerning the economic laws of the transitional period and ascertain whether they contain any errors.
Chuan
Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Li refers to Li Fuchun, who at the time served as Vice Premier of the State Council and Director of the State Planning Commission. Chen refers to Chen Boda, then Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Luo refers to Luo Mai, i.e., Li Weihan, who at the time was Minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. Tao Zhu was then Secretary of the South China Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. All of them were in Guangzhou at the time, attending a meeting.