Comrades Lin Biao, Rong Zhen, and ××:

At present, within various sectors of the national industry, there are proposals to emulate the People’s Liberation Army throughout the entire hierarchy—from ministries down to individual factories and mines—by establishing political departments, political offices, and political instructors at every level, and by implementing the “Four Firsts” and the “Three-Eight Style.” I further suggest that several batches of capable cadres be transferred from the PLA to the industrial sector to carry out political work (to be accomplished over several years, with one batch dispatched each year), much as has already been done in the Ministry of Petroleum. According to Comrade ×××, the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power, the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, and the Ministry of Chemical Industry are now following the example set by the Ministry of Petroleum in adopting the PLA’s methods. I have received a detailed report from the Ministry of Metallurgy, which advocates the establishment of political departments, offices, and instructors at all levels. It appears that without such measures it will be impossible to reinvigorate the revolutionary spirit of millions upon millions of cadres and workers across the entire industrial sector (as well as in the commerce and agriculture sectors).  To achieve this, I believe there are four possible ways to secure the necessary political cadres: first, to transfer a contingent of strong, readily available political cadres and politically astute military officers from the PLA to the industrial, commercial, and agricultural sectors, with initial emphasis on industry; second, to send capable personnel from these sectors to PLA corps, divisions, and regiments for several months of training; third, to dispatch their own staff to the Political Academy currently under the direction of Mo Wenhua to study as students, graduate on schedule, and then return to their posts; and fourth, to take matters into their own hands by adopting the PLA’s system of ideological and political work regulations and procedures, making minor adjustments to suit the specific conditions of each sector, and putting them into practice as their own framework. At present, four ministries are already proceeding along these lines. It seems that this fourth approach will be the principal one, since the PLA cannot spare a large number of cadres. Nevertheless, the PLA should certainly provide assistance. I request that you consider the feasibility of these proposals, after which I shall consult with the members of the CPC Central Committee Standing Committee—with the possible participation of a few comrades responsible for industrial affairs—and hold discussions with you to finalize the policy. (Comrade Lin, being unwell, may not attend.) I have been contemplating this issue for several years. Now, however, with the industrial sector itself taking the initiative to learn from the PLA, and with the outstanding achievements of the Ministry of Petroleum serving as persuasive evidence, the time has come for widespread implementation. Since Comrade Lin Biao introduced the “Four Firsts” and the “Three-Eight Style,” the PLA’s ideological and political work, together with its military operations, has undergone a major transformation compared with the past, becoming both more concrete and more theoretically grounded, thereby rendering it far more accessible and easier for the industrial sector to adopt and emulate.

November 16, 1963