Comment on the Summary of Instructions from the Central Standing Committee's Reception of All Comrades of the Military Commission's Operations Conference (May 25, 1965)

This document [1] has been read, return to Comrade Lin Biao. I agree with all the opinions [2] put forward. Regarding the so-called thirteen items of material preparation work, if there is a document, I hope it will be sent for me to read.

Mao Zedong
May 25

Published according to the manuscript.

Notes

[1] Refers to the Summary of Instructions from the CCP Central Standing Committee's Reception of All Comrades of the Military Commission's Operations Conference, printed and distributed by the General Staff Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army on May 21, 1965. This conference was convened to implement the series of instructions on the question of strategic principles given by Mao Zedong in his Shisanling talk in 1964. The summary states: On May 19, 1965, Central Standing Committee comrades Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Lin Biao, Deng Xiaoping, and others received all the comrades of the Military Commission's Operations Conference. While listening to the reports of Luo Ruiqing and several group leaders, they respectively gave extremely important instructions.

[2] The main opinions put forward in the summary of instructions are: (1) We must base ourselves on preparing to fight early, to fight a major war, and to fight from all directions. If we are well-prepared, the enemy will not dare to attack rashly, and it will be possible to strive to postpone the war, or even prevent the war from being fought. (2) We must consider problems from a strategic perspective and properly handle the relationship between economic construction and national defense construction. Regarding the increase of military personnel, it must be considered from the overall situation; if the army is made too large, it will affect the nation's economic construction. (3) War preparation work must have focal points. At present, we must do a good job with fortifications and do a good job with the troops' weapons and equipment. We can first draw a little strength from the troops to work on fortifications. (4) We must be well-prepared for war in three aspects: military thought, material foundation, and the political work of the army.