Commentary on Fang Qiang’s Opinion Regarding the Conduct of the Expanded
Military Commission Meeting
(June 5, 1958)
This document (2) is very well written; it raises important questions. After Peng,
Huang, and Deng (3) have read it, please return it to me. For the time being, I do not
intend to make a public speech. First, we need to allow all the issues to be fully
brought to light. In a few days, I plan to meet separately with each of the small

Fang Qiang, who at that time served as Deputy Commander of the People’s Liberation
Army Navy and President of the Naval Academy.
Refers to Fang Qiang’s letter dated May 29, 1958, addressed to the Presidium of the
Expanded Military Commission Meeting, outlining his views on how the meeting should
be conducted. In the letter, he stated: “This expanded meeting of the Military
Commission has set two main agendas—rectification and reorganization—to resolve
ideological problems in army building and achieve unity of thought. The approach of
‘large-scale airing of views,’ ‘free debate,’ and ‘extensive discussion’ is entirely
appropriate. However, it remains unclear what the guiding principle behind this
rectification campaign should be, which major ideological issues need to be addressed,
and what primary contradictions must be resolved. Without such clarity, the meeting
will not be conducted effectively. In my view, the key contradiction facing our army
at present is this: on the one hand, we are committed to building a modern, high-quality revolutionary armed force; on the other hand, dogmatism and empiricism still
exist to varying degrees in various aspects of our work, hindering the development of
our military. I suggest that the guiding principle for this expanded meeting of the
Military Commission should be the earnest implementation of the spirit of the Second
Plenary Session of the Eighth National Congress of the CPC, under the general line of
socialist construction—mobilizing all forces, striving for progress, achieving more
with less, and doing things quickly and well—with combating dogmatism and empiricism
as the central task, and conducting a thorough review of all areas of military work.”
[3]
Peng refers to Peng Dehuai, then a member of the CPC Central Military Commission,
Vice Premier of the State Council, and Minister of National Defense. Huang refers to
Huang Kecheng, then Secretary-General of the CPC Central Military Commission. Deng
refers to Deng Xiaoping, then a member of the CPC Central Military Commission and
General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

leaders individually to discuss the situation and conduct an investigation to get a clear picture.
Mao Zedong
June 5th
Are there no problems?

We should learn from foreign technologies.
12 1
Sichuan
In his letter of opinion, Fang Qiang stated: “In my view, our principles and policies
for army building, as well as our strategic guidelines, are all correct. Over the past
few years, guided by these principles and policies, our armed forces have made great
progress in all respects. From this perspective, there are no fundamental problems.”
Under the phrases “principles and policies for army building” and “strategic guidelines,”
Mao Zedong drew a horizontal line and wrote this comment.
[2]
In his letter, Fang Qiang listed manifestations of dogmatism in army building, saying:
“Our troops and military academies do not primarily study the universal truths of
Marxism-Leninism combined with the practical experience of the Chinese revolution as
expounded in Chairman Mao’s military writings, nor do they take today’s living Marxist-
Leninist theory—the Selected Works of Mao Zedong—as their guide. Instead, they focus
on learning from foreign experiences and taking foreign practices as their standard.”
Mao Zedong drew a line beneath the sentence “Instead, they focus on learning from
foreign experiences and taking foreign practices as their standard” and added this
comment.

Fourth, while we possess fine traditions, historically speaking, they have not
dominated the entire military. Another detrimental tradition within the military is the
presence of non-Marxist, and at times even anti-Marxist, tendencies, such as dogmatism
and warlordism.
Fifth, After Peng and Huang Have Read It, Return It to Deng: Some comrades are
dissatisfied with the way the meeting is being conducted. This issue is easily
resolved; a simple adjustment will suffice. Let us invigorate our spirits—there is much
that can be achieved. Please, Deng, consult with Peng and Huang to convene seven or
eight comrades for regular discussions. There may be no need for small group meetings;
it would be sufficient to hold only plenary sessions and smaller breakout groups. Please
make a decision accordingly.
Mao Zedong
June 5th
Sichuan
This comment was written in response to a passage in Fang Qiang’s letter criticizing
manifestations of dogmatism within the military. The relevant passage reads: “At one
point, our army exhibited a tendency to emphasize formalization while neglecting the
promotion of our glorious and fine traditions; to prioritize technical expertise over
political education; to stress centralization at the expense of democracy; to focus solely
on studying the Soviet model—though this was necessary—while failing to summarize our
own experiences; to emphasize commanders instructing subordinates rather than following
the mass line, disregarding the fine tradition of mutual learning among officers and
soldiers; to stress discipline and obedience over political consciousness; to insist on
strict adherence to rules and regulations while ignoring the creative initiative and
enthusiasm of the masses; to place great importance on rank and hierarchy while paying
little or no attention to the political equality of officers and soldiers… All these
factors led, during a certain period, to a certain degree of erosion of some of our fine
traditions, and even caused fluctuations in some of our fundamental systems.”

--- Notes

[2]