--- Notes

There are three items [2] of Chairman Mao Zedong’s annotations on Li Fuchun’s letter [1] concerning the arrangements for the 1963 national economic plan (dated September 4, 1962), which have been circulated to all comrades [3] for study. These annotations were printed by Mao Zedong on September 4 based on the manuscript.

Notes [1] In his letter of September 2, 1962, to Mao Zedong, Li Fuchun, Secretary of the CPC Central Secretariat, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Director of the State Planning Commission, stated: Although the upcoming Central Work Conference will not discuss next year’s plan, it is necessary to determine at an early stage the four key production targets—grain, cotton, timber, and coal. These four indicators are interrelated and bear upon the overall arrangement of agriculture, light industry, and heavy industry. They constitute the most important material conditions for next year’s efforts to support agriculture, strengthen national defense, improve the market, and achieve further progress in the fiscal and economic situation, thereby becoming the central link of the entire national economy. To this end, I propose that Comrades Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, and Peng Zhen, at a meeting of the CPC Central Secretariat, convene the secretaries of the various Central Bureaus and the party committees of provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions to deliberate these four targets and reach a preliminary agreement, so as to facilitate the drafting of next year’s plan and enable early preparations for production. In my personal view, next year’s timber output must reach 23.5 million cubic meters, while cotton production should be no less than 20 million dan, with a target of 24 million dan; with due effort, this is entirely feasible. With regard to supporting agriculture, I hope that the provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions can submit concrete, practical proposals for next year and beyond by mid-October, after which the State Planning Commission will compile and balance them to formulate the national plan for consideration at the next Central Work Conference.

[ ] Refers to: 1. Li Fuchun’s letter to Mao Zedong, see Note [1] in this section. 2. The report submitted on August 16, 1962, by the Party Group of the State Planning Commission concerning several major issues in planning the 1963 national economic plan. The report addresses the following matters: (1) The main features of this year’s plan implementation; (2) Questions relating to the preparation of next year’s plan. The report concludes that next year’s economic situation will undoubtedly be better than this year’s. 3. The report of the Party Group of the State Planning Commission dated August 10, 1962, on supporting agriculture. The report covers four points: (1) Supporting agriculture and carrying out its technological transformation—the essence of China’s path to building socialism; (2) The formulation of the Third Five-Year Plan must firmly adhere to the general principle of basing national economic development on agriculture; (3) Arrangements for supporting agriculture in 1963; (4) Strengthening investigation and research in anticipation of a new upsurge in agricultural production and technological transformation. [3] Refers to the comrades then attending the preparatory meeting for the Tenth Plenary Session of the Eighth CPC Central Committee in Beijing.