Commentary on the “Report on the Situation Regarding the Study of the PLA’s Political Work Experience by the Industrial and Transportation Sectors”〔1〕 (December 21, 1963)

Comrade Bo Yibo: I have read the report〔2〕. Please consider whether it may be circulated for study among those attending the meeting and subjected to discussion.  Mao Zedong December 21  Printed from the manuscript.

Notes 〔1〕 This commentary was written on a letter dated December 20, 1963, submitted by Bo Yibo, Alternate Member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Director of the State Economic Commission, to Mao Zedong along with a report for his review on the industrial and transportation sectors’ study of the PLA’s political work experience. 〔2〕 In his report of December 19, 1963, to Mao Zedong on the industrial and transportation sectors’ study of the PLA’s political work experience, Bo Yibo stated that, in accordance with your instruction of December 11, a preliminary inspection had been conducted of how the various ministries of the State Council responsible for industry and transport were carrying out ideological and political work. The situation could generally be divided into two categories: one in which such work was being earnestly pursued and had indeed been put on track—this was the case with the Ministry of Petroleum Industry; and another in which some efforts had been made, but these were not sufficiently regular or systematic, and no set of methods suited to the specific conditions of the sector had yet been developed, resulting in only modest achievements. The reason why the ideological and political work at the Ministry of Petroleum Industry had been carried out relatively well was that it had been able to combine the particular circumstances of the petroleum industry with the PLA’s comprehensive system of political work experience, applying it successfully. Their experience can be summed up as follows: placing primary emphasis on doing a good job in working with people and revolutionizing them; correctly handling relations between people, as well as between people and material resources; integrating ideological work into the production process, scientific experimentation, and everyday life; thereby ensuring the correct implementation of the Party’s line, principles, and policies and promoting the development of production.  In order to implement the directive that the industrial and transportation sectors should learn from the PLA, we propose to take the following measures: (1) All ministries concerned with industry and transport must study the PLA’s political work experience and, armed with Mao Zedong Thought and a revolutionary spirit, re-energize all cadres and workers. Every industrial sector is to establish, following the PLA model, a system of political work extending from the ministry level down to individual enterprises. (2) A draft regulation on ideological and political work in the industrial and transportation sectors is to be drawn up. (3) Outstanding leading cadres are to be selected from enterprises under the central industrial and transportation departments and sent to the Political Academy or the military to study political work experience. (4) For the time being, 300 to 500 cadres familiar with political work are to be seconded from the military to serve in the central industrial and transportation ministries and in key enterprises as political officers. (5) After the central industrial and transportation ministries have established their systems of political work, it would seem necessary to set up, under direct central leadership, a unified body to manage political work across these sectors.