Commentary on the CMC’s Report Concerning the Military System’s Briefings to the Central Committee〔1〕 (February 25, 1957)

CMC: It would be more appropriate to hold these briefings in the second half of the year rather than the first. There is no need to prepare for all units; limiting it to the Four General Headquarters, the Air Force, and the Navy should suffice. The final decision can be made as circumstances warrant.

Mao Zedong February 25  Printed from the manuscript.

Notes 〔1〕 Refers to the CCP Central Military Commission’s report of February 22, 1957, addressed to Mao Zedong, concerning the matter of various departments and arms of the military system submitting briefings to the Party Central Committee’s Chairman and members of the Political Bureau. The report stated that, following deliberation, the CMC had tentatively scheduled the briefings to proceed in the following order: the General Staff Department, the General Political Department, the General Cadre Department, the Training Command, the Armed Forces Inspection Department, the General Logistics Department, the Air Force, the Navy, the Artillery, the Armored Corps, the Signal Corps, the Engineer Corps, the Railway Corps, and the Chemical Defense Corps. The preference was for each unit to present its briefing separately, so that the Politburo members could gain a fuller understanding of military affairs and offer more specific guidance. However, the report sought instructions on whether every department should present a briefing or whether only a selection of key departments and arms should do so. As for timing, the briefings were proposed to take place between March 20 and mid-April.