Letter to Khrushchev on Reporting the Situation of the National Conference of the Communist Party of China and Soliciting Opinions on Our Country's First Five-Year Plan
(April 5 and 6, 1955)

Comrade Shangkun:
The five documents[1]—the Five-Year Plan, the two reports by Chen and Deng, my opening address, and Shaoqi's speech—are being translated into Russian, to be sent to Yudin[2] on the 10th for forwarding to the CPSU Central Committee to ask for their opinions. Please draft a letter from the CPC Central Committee to the CPSU Central Committee today and give it to me to review this afternoon.
Mao Zedong
1:00, April 5

[1] The Five-Year Plan refers to the Draft of the First Five-Year Plan for the Development of the National Economy of the People's Republic of China, adopted by the National Conference of the Communist Party of China. The two reports by Chen and Deng refer to the report on the First Five-Year Plan for the Development of the National Economy made by Vice Premier of the State Council Chen Yun, and the report on the Gao Gang-Rao Shushi Anti-Party Alliance made by the Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee Deng Xiaoping, at the National Conference of the Communist Party of China. The opening address refers to Mao Zedong's opening address at the National Conference of the Communist Party of China. Shaoqi's speech refers to Liu Shaoqi's speech on the current international situation at the National Conference of the Communist Party of China.
[2] Yudin was the Soviet Ambassador to China at the time.

Comrade Shangkun:
Please have this document[1] typed up and sent to me for signature before 3:00 p.m. today.
Mao Zedong
Morning, April 5

Comrade Shangkun:
Type one copy and send it to me at 12:00 noon tomorrow.
Mao Zedong
April 5

Comrade Shangkun:
Both documents[2] have textual revisions. Please have them retyped and delivered to me this afternoon!
Mao Zedong
1:00, April 6

[1] Refers to the reply to Khrushchev's invitation for him to visit the Soviet Union, revised by Mao Zedong on April 6, 1955, which is document Six of this collection.
[2] Refers to documents Five and Six of this collection.

Five

To the Central Committee of the CPSU, Comrade Khrushchev[1]:
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China convened a National Conference (not a Congress) from March 21 to 31, with the following three items on the agenda: (1) On the First Five-Year Plan for the Development of the National Economy; (2) On the Gao Gang-Rao Shushi Anti-Party Alliance; (3) On the establishment of central and local Party control commissions.
The communiqué of the National Conference of the Communist Party of China and the resolutions on the three aforementioned issues have been published in the newspapers, and we imagine you may have already seen them. We are now sending you the First Five-Year Plan (Draft) for the Development of the National Economy of the People's Republic of China and Comrade Chen Yun's report on the First Five-Year Plan for the Development of the National Economy, and request that you review them for us and provide your opinions for revision. We hope to be notified of your opinions before June 1, because in June our country will convene the National People's Congress to examine and adopt the outline of the First Five-Year Plan, which will then be publicly released. Naturally, the plan submitted to the National People's Congress for examination and promulgation will not be exactly the same as the one we are sending you to review; some confidential parts we are not prepared to make public. Dear comrades, to ask you to read such troublesome documents is really an excessive request, but you have more experience than we do, so in the interest of making fewer mistakes, we still ask you to please take a look for us.
In addition, we are also sending you for your reference Comrade Deng Xiaoping's report on the Gao Gang-Rao Shushi Anti-Party Alliance, Comrade Liu Shaoqi's speech on the current international situation, and my opening address, all from our Party's National Conference. If you are interested, you may also take a look at them, and if you have any opinions, please also raise them with us. These are not for public release, and Comrade Liu Shaoqi's speech is, moreover, confidential.
With comradely greetings!
Mao Zedong
April 6, 1955

[1] Khrushchev was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union at the time.

Six

Dear Comrade Khrushchev:
Your letter of March 25 has been received. I express my heartfelt thanks for your warm invitation.
I would very much like to be able to visit the Soviet Union to talk with comrades and to visit various places. However, as I have been feeling a bit unwell recently, and Comrade Zhou Enlai must attend the Asian-African Conference this month, I am unable to make the trip. Let us arrange a time in the future. This is my reply.
With comradely greetings!
Mao Zedong
April 6, 1955