Instruction on Convening an Enlarged Meeting of the Military Commission to Discuss
Reduction of the Armed Forces and Other Issues [1]
(November 25, 1956)

Liu, Zhu, Chen, Deng [2]: Read by the 21st. Return to Peng.
Mao Zedong
November 25, 1956

[1] This is a instruction written by Mao Zedong on November 23, 1956, in response to a report by Peng Dehuai, member of the CPC Central Military Commission, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Minister of National Defense.
[2] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhu refers to Zhu De. Chen refers to Chen Yun, then Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council.
[3] The “Notice on Convening an Enlarged Meeting of the Military Commission” submitted by Peng Dehuai stated: It has been decided to convene an enlarged meeting of the Military Commission in Beijing in early January 1957 to discuss the issue of reducing the armed forces and the military training work for 1957. The “Decision on Reducing the Number of Troops and Strengthening Quality (Draft)” attached to the Notice stated: “The Military Commission decides: Under the principle of reducing the number of troops and strengthening quality, the current personnel strength of our armed forces shall be reduced by one-third, i.e., from 3.83 million personnel, a reduction of approximately 1.3 million, to maintain a standing army of 2.5 million personnel or slightly fewer.”