Comments on Peng Dehuai’s Report on the Strategic Guidelines for Defending the Motherland and on National Defense Construction [1] (April 2, 1956)

To Comrade Peng Dehuai.

This document has been read and is usable. The opinions of the central comrades will be communicated to you after they have reviewed the document.

Mao Zedong
April 2nd
Printed according to the manuscript.

Notes:

[1] This comment was written on the brief report submitted to Mao Zedong by Peng Dehuai, member of the Central Military Commission of the CPC, Vice Premier of the State Council, and concurrently Minister of National Defense, on March 23, 1956, regarding the report on the results of the enlarged meeting of the Military Commission and the report on the strategic guidelines for defending the motherland and on national defense construction. Peng Dehuai's report on the strategic guidelines for defending the motherland and on national defense construction at the enlarged meeting of the Military Commission on March 6, 1956, was divided into two parts. The first part, on the issue of strategic guidelines, mainly discussed the following issues: first, striving for lasting peace and being prepared to deal with sudden incidents at any time; second, the presentation of the issue of strategic guidelines; third, the strategic guideline of active defense; fourth, the issue of positional warfare combined with mobile warfare; fifth, several major issues in operational guidance. The second part, on the issue of national defense construction, mainly discussed the following issues: first, army building and war preparedness; second, mobilization preparation; third, the establishment of military scientific research work.