(July 10, 1959)

The question of unity.

Without a common understanding of the situation, unity is impossible. To achieve unity within the Party, we must first clarify the issues and unify our thinking. Some comrades lack a comprehensive analysis of the situation; we must help them understand what has been gained and what has been lost.

We must clarify the issues. Some say the general line is fundamentally wrong. The so-called general line is nothing more than "more, faster, better, and more economical." "More, faster, better, and more economical" can fundamentally never be wrong.

If we explain the reasoning clearly and lay out the issues openly, we can always have at least 70 percent of the people rally under the general line.

We must acknowledge shortcomings and mistakes. From a partial perspective, or regarding a specific issue, it may be a problem of nine fingers out of ten, or seven fingers, or three fingers, or two fingers. But from the overall perspective, it is only a problem of one finger. This is how it stands in terms of the general situation: nine fingers and one finger.

I always tell foreign comrades to come back and see in ten years whether we are correct. Because whether a line is correct or not is a matter of practice; it requires time and must be proven by the results of practice. We must admit we still have no experience in construction—it will take at least another ten years. In the meetings over this past year, we have consistently analyzed and resolved problems, upheld the truth, and corrected mistakes. Some comrades within the Party do not understand the overall situation. We must explain to them: In terms of certain specific facts, there are indeed cases where the losses outweigh the gains, but generally speaking, it cannot be said that the losses outweigh the gains. Gaining experience always requires paying a tuition fee.