Note by Xiao Hua on the Investigation Report Concerning the Shenyang Military Region’s Reproduction of Mao Zedong’s Internal Speeches [1] (September 1959) To Comrades Liu, Zhou, and Peng Zhen [2]: Please review; return to Mao.

Such a mess has occurred. Printed from Mao Zedong’s manuscript. Notes [1] In this report dated September 24, 1959, submitted by Xiao Hua, Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army, to the General Political Department and the Central Military Commission, it is stated that, according to the investigation, on December 22 of the previous year the Political Department of the Shenyang Military Region had reproduced 6,100 copies of “Instructions by Chairman Mao on Socialist Revolution and Construction Since Year Month” compiled and printed by the Higher Military Academy (which included twenty-nine speeches delivered by the Chairman at important meetings). Most of these documents were pieced together from the notes taken by one or a few individuals who attended the meetings and had not been reviewed by the Central Committee or other leading comrades. Some of them contained major state and party secrets; if they were lost, serious damage would result. I have instructed the Shenyang Military Region to immediately recall all copies of this document in its entirety and have warned them that henceforth any meeting records not approved by the Chairman and the Central Committee may only be disseminated orally within a limited cadre circle as prescribed by higher authorities; they must not be printed as official documents. It is recommended that the General Political Department also conduct inspections of other units to draw their attention to this matter. On October 13, 1959, the CPC Central Committee issued an instruction to rectify the indiscriminate reproduction and distribution of records of speeches by Comrade Mao Zedong and other central leaders, and simultaneously forwarded Xiao Hua’s report to the party committees of all provinces, municipalities directly under the central government, and autonomous regions, as well as to all central ministries and commissions and party groups under the CPC Central Committee. [2] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Peng Zhen was then a member of the CPC Central Politburo and a secretary of the CPC Central Secretariat.