Comment on
“A Case of Fear of the ‘Enemy’ Disease” [1]
(8 October 1962)

Comrades Liu, Zhou, Zhu, Deng, Ruiqing, and Fuzhi [2], please read. This matter is to be discussed at the Standing Committee meeting.

After reading, return to Mao.

Mao Zedong
8 October

[1] Refers to the material “A Case of Fear of the ‘Enemy’ Disease” published in *Situation Bulletin* No. 348, compiled and printed by the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on 4 October 1962. The material states that, according to a report from the Propaganda Department of the Bei’an Municipal Committee of Heilongjiang Province, in August of this year, Qiu Yulin, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shuangquan Commune in that municipality, fired a gun at night to drive away wolves. Many local commune and brigade cadres and commune members, upon hearing the gunfire, mistakenly believed that “the enemy was attacking,” became extremely terrified, and fled in all directions. This kind of “mental state” is very worthy of attention.

[2] Liu refers to Liu Shaoqi. Zhou refers to Zhou Enlai. Zhu refers to Zhu De. Deng refers to Deng Xiaoping, then General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC and Vice Premier of the State Council. Ruiqing is Luo Ruiqing, then Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPC, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Chief of the General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army. Fuzhi is Xie Fuzhi, then Minister of Public Security.