(December 16, 1963)
Comrades Lin Biao, He Long, Rongzhen, Ruiqing, and Xiaohua Yang:
At present, within various sectors of the national industry, there are proposals to emulate the People’s Liberation Army from top to bottom—that is, from the ministry level down to individual factories and mines—by establishing political departments, political offices, and political instructors at every level, and by adopting the “Four Priorities”[1] and the “Three-Eight Style”[2]. I further suggest dispatching several batches of capable cadres from the PLA to work in the industrial sector on political affairs (to be carried out over several years, with one batch transferred each year), just as the Ministry of Petroleum has done. According to Comrade Bo Yibo, the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power, the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, and the Ministry of Chemical Industry are already following the example set by the Ministry of Petroleum in emulating the PLA. I have received a detailed report from the Ministry of Metallurgy regarding its efforts to adopt the PLA model.
[1]
On the envelope of this letter, Mao Zedong wrote: “After Comrades Liu, Deng, Peng, Bo Yibo, Li Xiannian, and Tan Zhenlin have read it, please forward it to Comrades Lin Biao, He Long, Nie Rongzhen, Luo Ruiqing, and Xiao Hua for their review. After reading, keep this letter with Ruiqing.” Here, “Liu” refers to Liu Shaoqi; “Deng” refers to Deng Xiaoping; and “Peng” refers to Peng Zhen.
[2]
Lin Biao was then Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Vice Premier of the State Council.
He Long was then Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission and Director of the National Defense Industry Commission, as well as Vice Premier of the State Council.
Rongzhen refers to Nie Rongzhen, who served as Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Director of the Science and Technology Commission.
Ruiqing refers to Luo Ruiqing, who was Secretary of the CPC Secretariat, a member of the Standing Committee of the Central Military Commission and its Secretary-General, and also a Vice Premier of the State Council.
Xiaohua was then a member of the CPC Central Military Commission and its Deputy Secretary-General, as well as Deputy Director of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army.
[3]
The “Four Priorities” refer to giving priority to human factors, political work, ideological work, and living ideas.
[4]
The “Three-Eight Style” consists of three principles—“firm and correct political orientation, a hardworking and frugal work style, and flexible and mobile strategies and tactics”—and eight characters: “unity, rigor, seriousness, and liveliness.”

They advocate establishing political departments, offices, and instructors at all levels. It appears that unless this is done, it will be impossible to invigorate the revolutionary spirit of millions upon millions of cadres and workers across the entire industrial sector (as well as the commercial and agricultural sectors). To implement this, I believe there are four possible ways to secure political cadres: First, transfer a contingent of strong, available political cadres and politically savvy military officers from the PLA to the industrial, commercial, and agricultural sectors (with initial emphasis on the industrial sector); second, send capable personnel from these industries and other departments to regiments, divisions, and armies of the PLA for several months of training; third, dispatch them to the Political Academy currently headed by Mo Wencheng(I) to study as students, graduate on schedule, and return to their posts; and fourth, have these sectors take charge themselves by adopting the PLA’s system of ideological and political work regulations and procedures, making minor adjustments to suit the specific circumstances of each department, and implementing them as their own. At present, four ministries have already adopted this approach. It seems that this fourth method will be the primary one, since the PLA cannot spare many cadres. However, it is certain that the PLA will provide assistance. Please consider whether this is feasible, after which I will discuss the matter with the members of the CPC Central Politburo Standing Committee (with the participation of a few comrades responsible for industry). Comrade Lin may not attend due to illness. Once we have determined the guiding principles, given that the industrial sector has proactively proposed emulating the PLA and that the remarkable achievements of the Ministry of Petroleum can serve as convincing evidence, the time has come for widespread implementation. Following Comrade Lin Biao’s introduction of the “Four Priorities” and the “Three-Eight Style,” the PLA’s ideological and political work, along with its military operations, has undergone significant development compared with the past—becoming both more concrete and more theoretically grounded—and thus easier for the industrial sector to adopt and learn from.
Mao Zedong
December 16th
[1]
Mo Wencheng was then the president of the Political Academy of the People’s Liberation Army.
Enclosed is one copy of Comrade Bo Yibo’s letter to me.[1]
Handwritten draft of Mao Zedong’s letter to Lin Biao et al.
[1]
Refers to the letter dated December 15, 1963, from Bo Yibo, Vice Premier of the State Council and Director of the State Economic Commission, to Mao Zedong. The letter states:
Your instructions of December 1st concerning Comrade Wang Heshou’s report were received and read on the 13th. In accordance with your directives, I am convening meetings with officials from various industrial ministries to inquire about their progress in learning from the PLA and the Ministry of Petroleum regarding ideological and political work, and to discuss how to strengthen such work in industrial enterprises. Indeed, sending a group of outstanding PLA cadres to work in the industrial sector is an effective way to bolster political work in industry. Over the past several years, the Ministry of Petroleum has been doing just that, achieving notable results and developing a relatively complete set of practices for conducting ideological and political work within industrial enterprises. Other industrial ministries, including those of water resources and electric power, metallurgy, and chemicals, are also beginning to follow the lead of the Ministry of Petroleum.