Remarks During the Discussion on the Ten-Year Plan for Science and Technology
(December 16, 1963)
(When Nie Rongzhen reported that our scientific and technological development had accelerated after the Soviet Union withdrew its experts)
Mao Zedong: That is just like during the War of Resistance when He Yingqin refused to provide us with pay; yet the base areas managed to produce far more than what was allocated.
(When Nie Rongzhen spoke about the social sciences)
Mao Zedong: The social sciences also need a ten-year plan. They have fallen behind. Since no such plan was drawn up this time, we should still invest some resources in them.
There used to be a journal called “Research Communications on Dialectics of Nature” which was suspended for a long period, but it has now been revived. It’s good that it has resumed publication. The second issue has already come out. Where is this journal published?
(Someone replied that it was produced by the Dialectics of Nature Group of the Institute of Philosophy.)
(When Nie Rongzhen reported on agricultural and medical research)
Mao Zedong: For the Huang-Huai-Hai region, we should organize several tens of thousands of people to work on it.
We could organize these tens of thousands into engineering units following a military structure, expanding our railway engineering corps from 120,000 to 220,000 personnel. To build forest railways, we simply cannot do without an engineering force.
If crop yields reach only a few hundred jin, we won’t even report it in the newspapers; we only publicize measures that increase production. As for cold-prevention medicine, according to the Reference News, the British have developed it. I catch colds several times every year, so we should definitely study this kind of drug. What exactly causes a common cold? Is it really a virus, or some other kind of bacterium?

It is permissible to admit mistakes publicly, but one must also correct them openly.
(When Nie Rongzhen reported that we aimed to catch up with the world’s advanced level within twenty years)
Mao Zedong: We must have both a revolutionary spirit and a rigorous scientific attitude.
(When Nie Rongzhen reported that we planned to spend four million US dollars annually on importing books and periodicals)
Mao Zedong: Spending only four million dollars on foreign publications is not that much. It’s worthwhile; we could even spend ten million dollars.
We can raise the honoraria paid to scientists a bit higher—after all, it’s our own publishing house!
(After Nie Rongzhen finished his report)
Mao Zedong: We must fight and win the battle for science and technology. In the past, our struggle was focused on the superstructure—establishing the people’s government and the people’s army. Why did we build such a superstructure? To engage in production. The purpose of constructing the superstructure and transforming production relations was precisely to liberate the productive forces. Now that the relations of production have been transformed, we must boost productivity. Without developing science and technology, we cannot possibly increase productivity.
Scientific research has both practical and theoretical aspects. We need to strengthen theoretical research and assign dedicated personnel to it; neglecting theory is unacceptable. We should cultivate a contingent of talents who understand theory, and we can draw them from among workers and peasants as well. Each of us should acquire at least some knowledge of natural science theories, particularly in fields such as medicine and biology.
(When discussing the need to invest three billion yuan over ten years)
Mao Zedong: That amounts to just three hundred million yuan per year—hardly a large sum.
(When Mao Zedong spoke about using lasers to develop anti-missile weapons)
Mao Zedong: Let’s form a team specifically to study the so-called “death ray.” We should have a group of people whose sole task is to devote themselves to this research, eating their meals and doing nothing else. It doesn’t matter if they don’t achieve any immediate results. From a military standpoint, apart from offensive weapons, we should also emphasize research into defensive systems. After all, in future conflicts we may find ourselves primarily on the defensive. As for offensive weaponry, we cannot compete with others in terms of sheer numbers, especially when it comes to atomic bombs. Throughout history, warfare has always required a combination of offense and defense; building fortifications and digging caves are all forms of defense. Even the Great Wall built by Emperor Qin Shi Huang wasn’t very effective.

During the discussion on Nie Rongzhen’s report regarding the ten-year plan for science and technology, he continued: We are planning to undertake certain impractical projects—such as underground factories and subways—and will carry them out step by step over the years.
(As everyone stood up to leave, a comrade asked: Does the scientific experimentation component of the Three Great Revolutions include the social sciences?)
Mao Zedong: It primarily refers to the natural sciences. Research in the social sciences cannot entirely rely on experimental methods. For example, political economy cannot be studied through experiments; instead, abstract reasoning must be employed—just as Marx explained in Capital. Concepts such as commodities, war, and dialectics are all derived from observing countless phenomena before reaching theoretical generalizations.