Comrade Lin Biao:

This document has been read and is very good. It is suggested that each military region send capable personnel to investigate one or two companies, one good and one bad. What do you think? Please consider. I have had a toothache these past few days; I will notify you about our talk in a few days.

Mao Zedong
February 27

(Printed from the manuscript)

Notes
〔1〕 Luo Ruiqing, then member of the Standing Committee and Secretary-General of the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee, and Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army.
〔2〕 Lin Biao, then Vice Chairman of the Military Commission of the CPC Central Committee.
〔3〕 Refers to Luo Ruiqing's investigation report on the situation of troops in several regions, dated February 10, 1961. The report states: Recently, I visited several companies in Kunming, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, and other places, and talked with responsible cadres from some regiments, divisions, armies, and major military regions, and heard reports from several units. The following issues and opinions are hereby reported: (1) The Two Recollections and Three Investigations movement has entered the concluding stage in most units, and is being implemented in the work of creating Four-Good Companies and striving to become Five-Good Soldiers. A notable feature of this movement is that it has been relatively well integrated with the study of Chairman Mao's works. The actual results of the movement show that the Two Recollections and Three Investigations is one of the best living educational methods integrating Mao Zedong Thought with the actual conditions of the troops, and is a new-type army consolidation movement under new conditions. (2) This year's army rectification at the grassroots level should mainly focus on effectively carrying out the movement to create Four-Good Companies; rectification in organs should mainly provide supplementary lessons in units where last year's rectification was not thorough. The focus of this year's rectification should be on militia work. (3) This year, in conjunction with creating Four-Good Companies and continuing to cultivate the Three-Eight Work Style, serious attention should be paid to company management work. (4) Military training departments should attach importance to and study the issue of strengthening troop training, and find ways to pass on the combat experience and traditions of our army to newly promoted cadres. Military training for the troops should be strengthened. (5) There are also some specific problems in the daily lives of company soldiers, such as bathing, haircuts, and cooking, which need serious study and resolution. (6) The issue of cadres' family dependents has generally been reasonably resolved. What is currently noteworthy is that the family dependents of some cadres have serious political and work-style problems; it is suggested that the General Political Department seriously address this.