Letter to Yang Shangkun Concerning the Drafting of the “Agreed Minutes on Various Issues at the Lushan Conference〔1〕” (July 13, 1959)

Comrade Shangkun: The five-member drafting group〔2〕 proposes to add six comrades—Lu Dingyi, Tan Zhenlin, Tao Lujia, Li Rui, Zeng Xisheng, and Zhou Xiaozhou〔3〕—to form an eleven-member group. This group will first deliberate for two days, namely July 13 and 14, that is, today and tomorrow. On the night of the 14th, copies are to be printed and delivered to me and to each member of the various groups, one copy apiece. In the afternoon of the 15th, a meeting of the regional governors will be held at my residence… to discuss and revise the draft; after the first round of revisions, it will be sent to press that same night. On the 16th, copies are to be printed and distributed to all comrades for reading, discussion, and further refinement of any shortcomings. The eleven-member group will then draft the document (to be titled “Agreed Minutes on Various Issues at the Lushan Conference”). You must work diligently over the next few days and avoid holding a leisurely, undisciplined meeting. The entire text should not exceed five thousand characters. … Upon receipt of this letter, please convene an immediate meeting this morning or this afternoon to begin implementation. I request that Comrades Shaoqi and En… attend the meeting to review this letter and consider whether they concur. If they do, proceed with its implementation without delay.

Mao Zedong, 5:00 A.M., July 13, based on the manuscript.

Notes  [1] Refers to the enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee then being held at Lushan.  [2] Refers to the drafting group for the “Agreed Minutes on Various Issues at the Lushan Conference,” originally consisting of five members: Hu Qiaomu (alternate member of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat and Mao Zedong’s secretary), Yang Shangkun (alternate member of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat and Director of the Central Office), Chen Boda (alternate member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, Director of the Central Political Research Office, and Mao Zedong’s secretary), Wu Lengxi (President of the Xinhua News Agency and Editor-in-Chief of People’s Daily), and Tian Jiaying (Deputy Director of the Central Political Research Office and Mao Zedong’s secretary).  [3] Lu Dingyi was at the time an alternate member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, Minister of Propaganda of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier of the State Council. Tan Zhenlin was a member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat, and Vice Premier of the State Council. Tao Lujia served as First Secretary of the Shanxi Provincial CPC Committee. Li Rui was Vice Minister of Water Resources and Electric Power and also a secretary to Mao Zedong. Zeng Xisheng was First Secretary of the Anhui Provincial CPC Committee. Zhou Xiaozhou was First Secretary of the Hunan Provincial CPC Committee.