Critique on the Reports from the Tibet Work Committee Concerning the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee of the Autonomous Region and Zhou Renshan's Opinions on Border Work
(July 17, 1959)

These two documents [2] are to be distributed to all comrades for perusal, so that they may gain some understanding of the situation in Tibet.

Mao Zedong
July 17

Printed from the manuscript.

Notes
[1] Zhou Renshan, then serving as Deputy Secretary of the CPC Tibet Work Committee.
[2] Refers to the report of the CPC Tibet Work Committee to the Central Committee on June 30, 1959, concerning the Second Plenary Session of the Preparatory Committee of the Autonomous Region, and Zhou Renshan's report to the Tibet Work Committee on June 29 regarding opinions on border work.
The report of the Tibet Work Committee states: The Second Plenary Session of the Preparatory Committee was convened to implement the decision, approved by the Central Committee, of the Tibet Work Committee on several policy issues in the current work of quelling the rebellion. At the same time, resolutions were to be made on certain policies concerning current rural work, pastoral area issues, and other aspects, which would then be promulgated and implemented. Before the meeting, Zhang Guohua had already held four days of small meetings with the Panchen Lama, Ngapoi, and others, and conducted individual conversations, engaging in repeated and full consultations on several policy principles. The Panchen Lama and others all agreed that Tibet must carry out reforms. They reflected many specific situations and put forward a number of opinions on the steps and methods of reform, and also spoke many words from their hearts. Through these exchanges and deliberations, a consensus was ultimately reached on the issues of policy principles. Their mood was basically at ease, laying the foundation for the plenary session to pass the resolutions.
Zhou Renshan's report states: He, together with the sub-committees of the Gyantse and Shigatse Work Committees, convened relevant cadres to study the border issue. Everyone believes that for a period in the future, the important tasks of border defense work are to strengthen control, strike at the rebel bandits, stabilize the masses, and postpone the consideration of democratic reform for a later step.