1. Oppose the tendency toward boastful exaggeration. The aim is not to assign blame, but to learn lessons. Since the start of the Great Leap Forward, certain achievements have been made in the propaganda work of news agencies, newspapers, and radio, which have played a significant role in advancing the Great Leap Forward. However, there have also been some issues in propaganda that caused certain ideological confusion. This was inevitable given the sudden surge of the Great Leap Forward and our lack of experience under such circumstances. Nevertheless, Xinhua News Agency and the People’s Daily must always remain clear-headed, seek truth from facts, and oppose the tendency toward boastful exaggeration. Blame is not to be pursued; rather, we must draw lessons from the experience. We must conduct some reviews and promote the Great Leap Forward in a truthful and fact-based manner. In the past, we emphasized building up momentum, striving for the best, achieving more, faster, better, and more economically, and engaging in three years of arduous struggle. The launching of "satellites" and the "three transformations" played a major role. The overall direction was correct, but there were problems with the measure and precision in how we propagated them, and the boundaries were not always accurately grasped.

2. Is launching "satellites" right or wrong? At the start, it was good, but continuing to do so indefinitely is worth reconsidering. Over time, it may create artificial pressures that are not necessarily beneficial, especially regarding the steel "satellites" launched by certain units. When the People’s Daily published articles such as "If this province or county can achieve it, why can’t that one?", it put tremendous pressure on various localities. Once the campaign got underway, this approach should not have been used. When the People’s Daily reported on steel production in Luzhai County, Guangxi, it wrote two editorials in succession, and everyone went to visit the site. But in reality, the quantity was nowhere near as high as claimed, and the quality was very poor—most of it was sintered iron, which had a negative impact. In propaganda work, only achievements are highlighted, while shortcomings are ignored. For example, Henan made great progress this year, but it also had many shortcomings. If we only speak of achievements, it will encourage boastful exaggeration and impatience at the lower levels—this is wrong. When the literary and art circles launch "satellites," they should not be promoted in this way, because after a "satellite" is announced, it still needs to be acknowledged by the masses. Only when the masses call it a "satellite" can it truly be regarded as one.

3. It is better to say less than to say more. Regarding production figures, each province has released its own data, but they are hard to reconcile into a unified total. Henceforth, we should only release unified figures. This year’s grain output has more than doubled. But opinions vary on the exact number: some say 1,000 billion jin, some say 900 billion jin, and others say 750 billion jin. I say let’s go with 750 billion jin. In reporting, is it better to report more or less? Reporting less is preferable. If we report less, the worst that happens is being seen as lacking in drive, but if the output turns out to be more, the grain is still there. If we report more and cannot deliver, that’s very problematic. Doubling grain output is rare in the entire world, and some people are already skeptical. If we claim more but cannot produce the goods, not only will people disbelieve that figure, but they may also dismiss our entire set of achievements, damaging the Party’s prestige.

4. After the Zhengzhou Conference, three issues require special attention in our propaganda work.

(1) Guard against exaggerating the negatives. Do not think that we went too far to the left in the past and now need to correct that deviation. Do not talk only about the bad and not the good. Do not make things out to be unbearably tense or paint the past as a complete mess. Do not foster an atmosphere of deviation-correction; we must seek truth from facts. In reality, achievements remain the main aspect.

(2) We must protect the people’s enthusiasm. Propaganda should not pour cold water on them; rather, it should be like adding alum to water—clarifying it while keeping it intact.

(3) We must consider international repercussions. Many abroad are now skeptical of the achievements of our Great Leap Forward. We must not keep saying this was boastful and that was exaggerated—once we say so, they will believe us even less. To prevent negative side effects, we must promote from a positive angle. For instance, when speaking about caring for the people’s livelihood, do not say that past livelihood was mishandled; rather, stress that we are promoting both production and livelihoods simultaneously. Democracy and centralism should be discussed in combination. Do not say that there was no democracy in the past; instead, speak of the democratization of management.

During discussions at the People’s Daily on Comrade Zhang Chunqiao’s article, while his article was essentially correct, it was not comprehensive. It should have been supplemented with the missing aspects, but instead the discussion grew even more one-sided, even negating distribution according to work. Originally, the discussion was to be concluded, but now it should continue for another three months, as it has educational value. Some contents of the Zhengzhou Conference are not suitable for publicity. Certain elements may be disseminated within the Party, and others outside the Party. If there is uncertainty about something, do not rush to publicize it; seek instructions instead.

5. Destroy superstition, but do not negate science. Realism and romanticism must be well combined. Currently, encouraging people to dare to think, dare to speak, and dare to act has played a significant role in propaganda. Now, newspaper headlines are more vivid and attractive—this is a combination of romanticism and realism. But some are not quite accurate, poetizing everything regardless of context. Economic work is not like writing poetry; it requires concreteness. Romanticism has its limits. Oppose boastful exaggeration. There has been progress in using the language of the masses, but sometimes it is misused. When turning mass language into written form, correctness, precision, and scientific rigor are essential.

6. Regarding reports on central leaders’ inspection tours across localities: Central newspapers have paid close attention to such reports, and they have played a major role in advancing local work and closely linking the Party and the masses. They have spread the practice of leading comrades going deep into reality and among the people. However, there are some shortcomings as well. Every word a leader says, the color of their clothing, a smile, or a slight nod at a certain moment—such minor details are written about again and again, which is unnecessary. Some reports describe how the masses waited for a long time for the leaders, giving a bureaucratic impression. Some portray leaders as deified figures—such reporting is not good. While on inspection tours, some leading comrades casually nod in response to certain issues, without confirming them or planning to promote them, yet newspapers treat these as affirmations. This sometimes puts us in a passive position. Similar instances occurred in reports on Comrade XX’s inspection tour in Henan and Premier Zhou’s inspection visit to Tsinghua University. In the future, reports on inspection tours by central leaders shall follow central regulations:

(1) They are limited only to comrades who are members of the Political Bureau or above;

(2) After being written, reports must be reviewed by the person concerned and may not be published casually;

(3) Central newspapers may not arbitrarily reprint such reports from local newspapers.

7. On the issue of combining education with productive labor: The good aspects are the main ones, but there has also been some one-sidedness in propaganda and even violations of the central spirit. In some cases, only labor is discussed, and study is neglected. Now, some middle schools and universities have relaxed many basic courses—this is a dangerous trend. If the foundations in basic courses are not laid well in schools, it will be impossible to catch up to the world's advanced levels. Furthermore, there are basically two types of schools now. One consists of regular middle schools, high schools, and universities, which focus primarily on learning; the other consists of red-and-expert schools, which focus mainly on labor. But there is a current tendency to turn both types into red-and-expert schools. This must be corrected. Both types are needed; otherwise, catching up to the world’s advanced levels will be impossible. Overemphasizing socialization in schools and pushing students to live on campus—while this can serve as a long-term direction—if done too hastily, can lead to undesirable results.

8. There are many shortcomings in the way family issues have been publicized. Emphasis has been placed on cutting off the beginning and the end, and on separating men and women. Localities have reacted very negatively to this. Some believe that in a communist society, the word "family" should not even be mentioned and that we could form "groups" of fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. Such things should not be promoted now. The exact shape of the family in the future is still unclear. Not publicizing it does not hinder current socialist construction, while publicizing it has little practical meaning and merely causes confusion.

9. On the issue of publicizing the establishment of urban communes: Urban communes are a very complex issue. In the countryside, landlords and rich peasants have been eliminated, but the bourgeoisie still exists in the cities. There is no certainty about centralizing them for production, nor do we have enough experience on how to proceed. For now, active experimentation may be conducted, but it is not suitable for publicity in the People’s Daily. A case like the large-scale housing reassignment in Yangquan City may be feasible in small cities where housing quality is similar, but it would not work in Shanghai or Beijing. In cities, some people still experience significant disparities in living standards, and their dwellings vary greatly. Some people do not yet engage in production work. Reassigning housing would cause enormous disruption, so it should not be publicized for the time being.

10. On publicizing agricultural issues: Since the rural Great Leap Forward, agriculture has moved ahead of industry—that is a reality, and agriculture has passed a key threshold, which is also a reality. But some people have gotten the mistaken impression that the countryside is advanced and the city is backward, that peasants are the "elder brother" and workers are the "younger brother." So, who is more advanced—the peasants or the workers? This must be viewed from three angles: (1) From the perspective of ownership: workers operate under ownership by the whole people, while peasants operate under collective ownership. (2) In terms of contribution to the state: a worker at Anshan Steel produces 18,000 yuan worth of value per year and earns 800 yuan in wages—a tremendous contribution that peasants cannot match. There are three kinds of situations among peasants: those in regions with bumper harvests who can make contributions to the state; those who can just sustain themselves; and those in disaster areas who require state subsidies. (3) In terms of organizational discipline, peasants fall short of the working class. Thus, today the peasantry is still under the leadership of the working class, exercised through the Communist Party.

11. Regarding the book Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR, do not openly publicize it externally. The book is basically correct but has certain shortcomings. The Soviets have criticized this book poorly. If we engage in open discussion, it would not be advisable.

On the criteria for transitioning from socialist ownership by the whole people to communist ownership: Do not publicize them. It is best to be prudent. Our criteria and those of the Soviet Union are not the same. In 1936, the Soviet Union announced that socialism had been established, based on two conditions: first, the elimination of classes; second, industry accounting for 70 percent of the national economy. If we publicize our criteria, it would be equivalent to saying that the Soviet Union has not yet completed building socialism.