Approval Comment on the Request Report of the Central Military Commission Concerning the Abolition of the Military Rank System (January 1965)

Agreed.

Printed from Mao Zedong's manuscript.

Note
〔1〕 The Request Report of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China on January 12, 1965, to Mao Zedong and the Party Central Committee concerning the abolition of the military rank system stated: After study by the Seventh Enlarged Meeting of the CMC General Office Conference and the CMC's 223rd Office Meeting, and after soliciting the opinions of the Party committees of all military regions, services, branches, and academies, there is unanimous agreement to abolish the military rank system. The military rank system is a form of bourgeois right and is incompatible with the essence of our people's army. Over the past nine years, practice has proven that this system does not conform to the traditional style of our army; it makes hierarchy conspicuous, fosters a sense of rank and thoughts of personal fame and gain among cadres, is detrimental to the revolutionary construction of our army, and is detrimental to unity among comrades, between superiors and subordinates, and between the army and the people. At the same time, it has added considerable cumbersome affairs to Party committees and political organs at all levels. In view of these disadvantageous factors, it is proposed to abolish the military rank system, adopting the method of "retaining the name but letting the substance perish," whereby all military ranks from Senior General downward shall be abolished, while the rank of Marshal shall be retained. The military rank system was formulated in accordance with the Military Service Law and the Regulations on the Service of Officers. To abolish the military rank system, the Military Service Law and the Regulations on the Service of Officers must be amended. After the Central Committee approves the abolition of the military rank system, it shall then be submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for approval through legal procedures. The abolition of the military rank system will not cause too great a fluctuation in the thinking of army personnel, but it is still necessary, as with the salary reform, to conduct thorough ideological education work within the troops.