On Reprinting
Letter to Wu Lengxi Regarding the Article “Dismantling Bourgeois Legalistic Ideology” [1]
(October 11, 1958)
Comrade Lengxi:
Your letter No. 121 has been received. Since there are so many differing views, when it is published, the preface should be slightly revised as follows:

Editor’s Note in People’s Daily: This article by Comrade Zhang Chunqiao appeared in the sixth issue of Shanghai’s semi-monthly journal Jiefang. It is now reprinted here for the discussion of all comrades. This issue requires debate because it is an important one at present. We believe that Comrade Zhang’s article is basically correct, but it does have certain one-sidedness—in other words, its explanation of the historical process is not entirely complete. Nevertheless, he has clearly raised this question, drawing widespread attention. Moreover, the article is written in plain language and is very easy to read.

Please review it carefully and make your own judgment. If anything seems inappropriate, let me know so we can revise it further. In addition, would you be kind enough to show this to Comrade Chen Boda [2] and ask for his opinion? Please also inform me of the details of your discussion [3].
On Reprinting the Article “Dismantling Bourgeois Legalistic Ideology”: A Letter to Wu Lengxi
Please discuss this with him as well.
Mao Zedong
10:00 A.M., October 11

--- Notes

[1] The article “Dismantling Bourgeois Legalistic Ideology” written by Zhang Chunqiao was first published in the sixth issue of Shanghai’s Jiefang, released on September 16, 1958. When the People’s Daily reprinted it on October 13, 1958, it included an editor’s note penned by Mao Zedong. At that time, Zhang Chunqiao served as Minister of the Publicity Department of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPC, while Wu Lengxi was President of the Xinhua News Agency and Editor-in-Chief of the People’s Daily.
[2] Refers to a letter from Wu Lengxi to Mao Zedong, in which Wu expressed differing opinions regarding Zhang Chunqiao’s article and requested Mao’s consideration of whether the People’s Daily’s editor’s note accompanying the reprint could be phrased more flexibly.
[3] Chen Boda was then Director of the Central Political Research Office of the CPC Central Committee and Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Red Flag.