Comments on the Briefing Report of the East China Group at the Tenth Plenary Session of the Eighth CPC Central Committee (September 1962)

These two documents [1], let Jiang Qing read them. Return to Mao. They are worth reading; very good.

Printed from the manuscript.

Notes [1] One of them is Document No. 20 of the East China Group, issued by the Secretariat of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee on September 16, 1962, which records the speech delivered on the afternoon of September 14 by Chen Yi, a member of the CPC Central Political Bureau, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, before the East China Group. Chen Yi stated that there is currently a trend known as “three nos and one less.” This means that we are allegedly fighting too vigorously against the United States, against revisionism, and against Nehru, and should therefore adopt a more conciliatory stance. The “one less” refers to our excessive support for Asia, Africa, and Latin America, which should be reduced. However, this “three nos and one less” line of thinking is erroneous. A wealth of factual evidence demonstrates that our united-front struggle against Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Nehru is unavoidable and highly necessary. At the same time, our struggle has always been measured and restrained; it cannot be said that we have gone too far. As for the national liberation movements, as our strength continues to grow and our technology improves, we should provide them with even greater support. On this issue, we must not be shortsighted or calculate narrowly; we need to think big and consider not only economic factors but also political ones. Therefore, a pernicious wind advocating “three nos and one less” has once again begun to blow, primarily due to the temporary difficulties of the past three years, which have frightened and disoriented some individuals whose Marxist–Leninist stance is not firm. Such views must be refuted. Our current foreign policy is correct; it helps us buy time and overcome these temporary difficulties. Adopting an opportunist policy would not only undermine our external struggles but also destabilize the domestic situation. The other document remains unspecified.