Comments on Lu Dingyi’s [1] Speech Draft Delivered at the Second Session of the First National People’s Congress (July 20, 1955) 1. To Comrade Lu Dingyi: Apart from the revisions made by Xiaoping [2], I have also made some further changes (marked in red). Please consider them and decide accordingly. Mao Zedong, July 20th. Printed from the manuscript.

2. It is very difficult to ask the bourgeoisie [3] and religious believers to actively support Marxism and not to oppose it.

3. This point [4] can be discussed elsewhere; for the time being, it should not be raised at this meeting. Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript.

Notes [1] Lu Dingyi was then a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. [2] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time served as Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. He had made certain textual revisions to Lu Dingyi’s speech draft. [3] The original text in Lu Dingyi’s speech read as follows: “Anyone who hopes for the success of socialist construction and socialist transformation—whether they are idealists or materialists—should actively support and refrain from opposing the ongoing ideological campaign of Marxism, for this is a movement that concerns the destiny of our country and our nation and constitutes an absolutely indispensable part of our country’s socialist construction and socialist transformation.” During his review, Mao Zedong deleted this passage and wrote the present comment. [4] Refers to the following passage in Lu Dingyi’s speech: “We should also vigorously propagate atheism among the broad masses of youth, women, students, and workers; this is, in essence, a popularized form of materialist thought.” Mao Zedong removed this passage during his review and appended the present comment.