Comment on the Reassignment of Military Attachés[1]
(March 12, 1956)

To be reviewed by Liu, Zhou, Chen, and Deng[2], returned to Peng, and acted upon accordingly.[3] The candidates for military attaché must be of very good quality.

Mao Zedong
March 12

[1] This is Mao Zedong’s comment on a report dated March 7, 1956, by Peng Dehuai, member of the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Minister of National Defense.
[2] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Chen refers to Chen Yun, then Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then Secretary-General of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council.
[3] Peng Dehuai’s report stated: In order to gradually reduce the number of our military advisory personnel in Vietnam and to send additional technical personnel needed by the Vietnamese army, it is proposed to recall Wei Guoqing, who is serving as the chief military advisor in Vietnam, and to assign a military attaché to Vietnam to handle military liaison work between the two countries.