A Comment on the Question of Completing the Socialist Transformation [I]
(December 24, 1956)

This piece is to be sent to Mr. Chen Shutong for his perusal [2] and then returned to Vice Premier Chen Yun.

What I spoke of here [3] was "the socialist revolution can be basically completed in about three years," not that it would be fully completed in three years. So-called basic completion, in industry and commerce, means joint state-private ownership, but this was completed not in three years but in half a year; I overestimated by two and a half years. So-called full completion means nationalization, i.e., the abolition of fixed interest payments, which would require at least seven years.

Mao Zedong
December 24

[I] This comment was written on a report by Mao Zedong's confidential secretary Gao Zhi, dated December 23, 1956, regarding submitting the January 26 issue of the *People's Daily* of that year to Mao for review at Chen Yun's instruction.
[2] After reading this comment by Mao Zedong, Chen Shutong, Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, wrote the following passage on December 25, 1956: All newspapers published it this way, and our federations of industry and commerce at all levels also conveyed it accordingly, only without adding a further sentence: that it is advancing onto the path of high-level state capitalism, not nationalization. Therefore, some people did not understand the meaning of the word "basically," and even those who understood could not help but have doubts, saying that after three years, having advanced onto state capitalism last winter and this spring, it might transform into nationalization in another two years. Now that Chairman Mao has explained that fixed interest payments would last seven years and might even drag on with a tail, everyone feels reassured. Chen Yun forwarded this passage written by Chen Shutong to Mao Zedong.
[3] "Here" refers to Mao Zedong's speech at the Supreme State Conference on January 25, 1956, published in the *People's Daily* and sent by Gao Zhi for review, in which he said: "Since last summer, socialist transformation, that is, the socialist revolution, has unfolded on an extremely vast scale and with extremely profound intensity. In about three more years, the socialist revolution can be basically completed nationwide."

Comments and Revisions to the Draft Directive on the Work of Local Committees of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
(December 24, 1956)

A paragraph has been added at the end of the Central Directive [I]. Please ask Comrades Shaoqi and Xu Bing [2] to review it again, and forward it to Shangkun [3] for handling.

Around the summer of 1957, the Central Committee will convene a meeting to specifically discuss the work of the national united front. Please make early preparations to summarize and study the united front work in your respective areas (including

[I] Refers to the directive issued by the Central Committee of the CPC on December 24, 1956, transmitting the United Front Work Department of the Central Committee's "Opinions on Strengthening the Work of Local Committees of the CPPCC" to the Shanghai Bureau, all provincial (municipal) committees, autonomous region party committees, the Tibet Work Committee, and forwarding to all prefectural, municipal, and county committees. While reviewing this draft directive, Mao Zedong added a paragraph at the end, which constitutes Part Two of this document.
[2] Xu Bing, then Deputy Director of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee.
[3] Shangkun, i.e., Yang Shangkun, then Alternate Secretary of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the General Office of the Central Committee.